Visakhapatnam: As the news broke out that Lok Sabha passed the contentious Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill, an irate Samaikyandhra (united Andhra Pradesh) activist climbed up a pole and tore the huge flex of BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi put up in Vizag's busiest junction Prakasaraopeta on Tuesday.
This is one such an emotional outburst against the state bifurcation and that Seemandhra people are of the opinion that the BJP is equally responsible as the Congress in dividing Telugus. Effigies of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as well as BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj and Narendra Modi were burnt with vengeance on the streets of every town in Seemandhra region. People shouted slogans against them calling them murderers of Telugu unity.
Narendra Modi never missed a chance to comment on the issues related to Andhra bifurcation. Wherever he went while addressing rallies he cried foul about the way the Congress was going ahead with the state bifurcation without addressing the concerns of Seemandhra and made how it had made a mess out of it. Probably to gain some brownie points by sympathizing with the woes of Seemandhra public.
Even on Tuesday, a few hours before the Lok Sabha cleared the Telangana Bill, addressing a public meeting at Davanagere in neighbouring Karnataka, Narendra Modi had launched an attack on Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi over Telangana.
With the dwindling fortunes in Karnataka and no ray of hope in any other state down the Vindhyas, Modi desperately looked at Seemandhra. Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions put together has 25 Lok Sabha seats, which more than 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana and the BJP might have strategised to use the plank 'injustice to Seemandhra by the Congress' highlighting that the UPA never bothered to consider the amendments proposed by the party leaders on various issues related to Seemandhra development.
There are also reports that the BJP will sail with the TDP, whose leader N Chandrababu Naidu had time and again reiterated that he was not against the state division, but not happy with the way it is being done. He cried of 'equal justice' to both the regions. Now the Congress, the BJP and the TDP are seen as traitors in Seemandhra region and its people seething with anger are desperately waiting for the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections to vote against these parties.
Meanwhile, Seemandhra erupted in protest on Wednesday. All the activities across the 13 districts of Seemandhra came to a grinding halt. Schools, colleges both government and private are shut. Transactions at banks have been halted. There are no petrol pumps and cinemas. Shopping malls and commercial establishments downed their shutters in protest. There is hardly anyone seen on the roads except those taking out rallies. Staged sit-ins and dharnas are being organised and national highways have also been blocked.
(Ground report by IBNLive contributor Kranthi)
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