Public Meeting Could Trigger Communal Clashes: Police Tell Amaravati Farmers

The police and political curbs on the Mahapadayatra of Amaravati farmers even as it has reached the last leg could lead to another controversy. After entering Chittoor district on the 37th day of the padayatra, the police made it clear to the farmers that they cannot hold the public meeting, planned in Tirupati, on the concluding day of the 45-day yatra. However, they told the farmers that they can go ahead with the yatra.

Police raised objection to the public meeting stating that it would lead to huge traffic jam in the temple town of Tirupati and could also trigger communal clashes, as the farmers could make provocative speeches at the meeting.

At the same time, the Rayalaseema Hakkula Porata Samithi leaders also raised objection towards the meeting scheduled in Tirupati saying that the farmers were against setting up the High Court in Kurnool, which is part of Rayalaseema, by demanding for one capital and so, the agitators do not have the right to organize the programme in Tirupati, which is also in Rayalaseema.

The YCP government had repealed the contentious 3-Cpaital Bill just a few days ago.

Amaravati Only Capital

The farmers took out the ‘Nyayasthanam to Devasthanam’ padayatra demanding that Amaravati alone should be declared as the capital of Andhra Pradesh, in contrast to three capitals proposed by Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. The farmers say that they are not against decentralization of development but opposing decentralization of the capital.

Several political parties, including the BJP, TDP, Praja Rajyam Party, Jana Sena, held mammoth public meetings in Tirupati in the past but never had the issue of traffic jam cropped up during that time, political analysts observed and wondered why the restrictions on the farmers meeting, while the padayatra was being taken out in a very peaceful manner following Gandhian principles.

YCP leaders had been trying to obstruct the walkathon which began from Thullur on November 1, all through the way. Yesterday, YCP MLA Biyyapu Madhusudhan forced the farmers to change their venue of lunch allegedly by making the owners of the field begin works on the land with earthmovers.

Immense Support

However, Andhra Pradesh Hakkula Parirakshana Samiti president Kolikipudi Srinivasa Rao said that the solidarity meeting in Tirupati has been planned when the padayatra was launched. It was in the schedule submitted to the government while seeking the permission for the yatra. Our yatra has been receiving immense support and people are showering flowers like roses in our way, he said. The government wants to create hurdles and so the police are imposing curbs, he said and added that they would not step back from the schedule but get permission from the court to hold the meeting. He said that political parties and organisations supporting ‘Amaravati as the only capital for AP’ would be invited to the meeting.

Congress leader Tulasi Reddy said that the government was going on committing mistakes to cover up the earlier one and that the restriction on the farmers meeting in Tirupati was one among it. Jagan is trying to divert the attention of the people from the financial crisis in the state by raising the 3-capitals issue, he said.

It has to be seen how the farmers will overcome these hurdles and what would the YCP government do to suppress the protesting voices.