Despite severe restrictions imposed by the police, cancellation of leaves by the Andhra Pradesh government and preventive arrest of several leaders, thousands of the state government employees took part in the Chalo Vijayawada rally on Thursday.
Under the banner of PRC Sadhana Samithi, the employees from all parts of the state entered Vijayawada from different routes and in different modes. They assembled at APNGO home and dharna chowk, from where the rally commenced, and on the way, several others joined.
Though the police erected barricades at different locations in Vijayawada city on the routes leading to BRTS, the protesting employees broke the barricades and moved towards the BRTS to take out a massive rally, raising “We Want Justice” slogans.
The efforts to detain the employees at different places to prevent them from attending the protest rally proved futile. They demanded the rollback of GOs issued for implementation of the revised pay scale as per the new PRC, payment of January salary as per old wages, and disclose the Ashutosh Mishra Committee report on PRC.
While the agitation by the state government employees was expected, what surprised everybody was the way the opposition Telugu Desam Party tried to capitalise the agitation for its petty political gains.
Since morning, the TDP has been releasing videos and pictures of the agitation to the local and national media, indicating that the party activists have quietly joined the protest rally and have been picturising the agitation.
The TDP workers might have even played a role in breaking the barricades put up by the police at various places, lending credence to the suspicion of the police department that the TDP forces might join the employees’ rally.
Needless to say, the pro-TDP media like Eenadu and Andhra Jyothy have been telecasting the Chalo Vijayawada rally live since morning, interviewing the employees and JAC leaders. They are even conducting debates on the agitation, with an obvious attempt to criticise the Jagan government.
The employees should realise that if the TDP enters the scene, it would do more harm than good to them. And the Jagan government will take the agitation far more seriously!