New Delhi/Hyderabad: It is now a reversal of the situation in Andhra Pradesh. Telangana, which witnessed almost a daily protest, bandh and vandalism in the last four years is calm and is in a celebratory mood. Some say for the first time in over 60 years, the people of Telangana are truly happy. They are busy celebrating Navratri or Bathukamma festival.
The situation in Seemandhra is exactly the opposite. Seemandhra is witnessing exactly the same situation that Telangana went through in the past four years. All 13 districts in Seemandhra have been shut indefinitely. Public transport has come to a halt. Schools, colleges, Universities, government offices and even hospitals at some places have been closed.
The neighbouring Karnataka, which operates hundreds of KSRTC buses between the two states, has cancelled the service for safety reasons. People, who live on the Karnataka-AP border are travelling to towns and cities in Karnataka for the essential things. Some Karnataka towns and cities close to the AP border are doing a brisk business.
Tirupati, the world's second richest place of worship after the Vatican, is also facing an unprecedented crisis. A total shutdown against Telangana has been causing a huge inconvenience to lakhs of devotees who visit the hill temple, every day. There has been a huge drop in the number of devotees.
Major cities in Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra (together they are called Seemandhra) regions like Kurnool, Kadapa, Tirupati, Vijayawadada, Visakhapatnam, Guntur, Ongole and Rajahmundry have been completely shut.
The politicians from Seemandhra region are bearing the brunt. Angry people have been burning the effigies of national and state level politicians all over the state. The Coromandel national highway has been closed for the vehicular traffic by the irate protestors. They are even stopping the trains at some places.
Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, who is openly opposing the creation of Telangana, has instructed the police to show maximum restraint while handling the protestors in Seemandhra. He claims that the protests are spontaneous and they reflect the anger of the common people against a hasty decision on the statehood.
But the people from Telangana are accusing Kiran Kumar Reddy of not following the 'Raj Dharma'. They are alleging that he is stoking the unrest. Since Saturday and Sunday are holidays for many, the full scale of the protest can be felt only after Monday.
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