As the protests by farmers from the capital region of Amaravati in Andhra Pradesh entered its 11th day, a delegation of farmers is planning to head to New Delhi to meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The delegation will be seeking his intervention in Andhra Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy's proposal to have three capitals for the state and the farmers have insisted that the Amaravati should remain the sole capital of the state, reported ToI.
Several farmers, including women and children, participated in the relay hunger strikes held across villages. The farmers also blocked the Guntur-Amaravati road at Tadikonda and the roads leading up to the Secretariat in Mandadam were also blocked by the protesters, who staged a sit-in. The farmers’ agitation against the proposed three capitals also received support from locals of surrounding villages.
The villagers reportedly took to the main junctions of their villages from 9 am, raising slogans against the chief minister. TNIE reported that mild tension prevailed in Mandadam village when an argument over the protest broke out between the villagers and the police. Protests were also held at villages within the capital region such as Thullur, Velagapudi, Uddandarayunipalem and Nidamarru — these villages have been protesting for the past 11 days, the report added.
The Amaravati Parirakshana Samithi stated that they will be continuing the protests until the decision by the chief minister is rolled back and Amaravati is retained as the sole capital. The Samithi has threatened the state government with further statewide protests and intends to form Joint Action Committees in all districts to make the protests a statewide agitation.
The members of the Samithi are also exploding their legal options and expressed no trust in the state-appointed committees and reports favouring three capitals. The protesters are, however, waiting for a report from the Boson Consultant Group on capital on January 3 before taking further action with respect to the protests.