Ground Report: Kiran Kumar Reddy wins Samaikya round one

By SNV Sudhir

Visakhapatnam, Oct 30, 2013: Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy seems to have won round one over his party colleagues who were facing stiff resistance from public over the Congress-led UPA’s decision to split Andhra Pradesh to create Telangana state.

His programmes in Vizag on Wednesday to assess the damage to the farmers caused by the incessant rains went off smoothly without any disturbances from the public especially from the enthusiastic Samaikyandhra activists.

However, Wednesday’s visit was a well guarded affair with unusual barricading on either side of the roads for kilometers wherever he visited to interact with the flood victims this was probably to ward off any trouble by united Andhra Pradesh activists.

While Union tourism minister K. Chiranjeevi had to face the students ire in Srikakulam who pelted stones at him on Tuesday, other Union ministers M.M. Pallamraju, J.D. Seelam and Kavuri Sambasiva Rao had tough time in their respective constituencies with the Samaikyandhra activists. They had to visit their constituencies amidst unusual bandobust on Tuesday.

Kiran Kumar Reddy, never lost a chance to express his strong stance on keeping the state united in a defying tone to his party central leadership’s decision to bifurcate the state.

He had visited Devi Nagar in Anakapalle, Thimmarajipeta coming under Munagapaka mandal, Panchadharla of Rambill Mandal and Narayanapuram coming under Achyuthapuram mandal. Everywhere, the Chief  Minister was greeted by Jai Samaikyandhra and Jai Kiran Reddy slogans.

“We appreciate the way you are striving to keep Telugus and Telugu land united. We wish you continue the same and see that state is not bifurcated,” said a woman among the group that met the Chief Minister at Devinagar.

He was also greeted with Jai Samaikyandhra slogans by a large group at Panchadharla village. At an interaction in Narayanapuram too the enthusiastic crowd took the Samaikyandhra slogans and asked the Chief Minister to continue his fight to maintain status quo of AP

On the other hand, conspicuous absence of tribal welfare minister P. Balaraju and PCC chief Botsa Satyanarayana at the Chief Minister’s programme raised many eyebrows. Balaraju, on many occasions openly stated that he will abide by high command’s decision.