Gadwal MLA DK Aruna Kumari on Tuesday morning started her padayatra from Jammulamma temple, Gadwal, demanding a separate district with Gadwal as its headquarters. She will walk 60km in five days and will end the padayatra at Alampur Jogulamba temple on Friday evening.
On July 1, in the protest which took place at Mehbubnagar, DK Aruna along with her supporters and employee union leaders, blocked the Hyderabad-Bengaluru highway, leading to a traffic jam that lasted for hours. In order to clear the traffic, police had to resort to a mild lathicharge followed by arrests. The protesters were released later.
There are no guidelines laid down by the government concerning the formation of districts. Moreover, the Telangana Rashtriya Samithi (TRS) is neglecting our demand for a separate district, said Congress sources.
Talking to The News Minute, DK Aruna Kumari said, “Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao is intentionally neglecting our demand and has proposed to make Nagarkurnoon and Wanaparthy as separate districts. They took this decision to make things easier for Niranjan Reddy who has contested and lost 2014 election from Wanaparthy.”
When TNM spoke to Niranjan Reddy, TRS leader, he rubbished the allegation and said, “Government has not declared the list of districts and she is coming onto the roads since the last six months, misleading people. She made a representation and now the government will look into it. Based on some parameters, districts will be formed. If she has a problem with that, she can approach the court. Presently, she is just showing her immaturity.”
Talking about eligibility criteria, Aruna Kumari said, “Gadwal municipality was formed in 1935 which is one of the oldest municipalities. Jurala dam is present in this constituency and has two hydel power plants. We are completely eligible to form a new district.”
A similar demand is being made in Warangal for a separate district with Jangaon as headquarters. In the first week of July, agitators came onto the streets and destroyed public property. Buses, police vans and private vehicles were damaged and an RTC bus was set ablaze in Jangaon town.
Jangaon Zilla Sadana Samithi convener R Dashamanth Reddy said that leaders across the spectrum have been united in demanding district status for Jangoan. He further claimed that student unions and members of all political parties have been participating in the agitation for the last 15 days.