Instead of raising their arms to root for Samaikyandhra, integrationists lowered their arms for a noble cause of donating blood at a time when there is ever-increasing demand for safe blood to meet medical emergencies.
Zilla Parishad Chief Executive Officer G.Gangadhar Goud was the first to donate blood in front of the Prakasam Bhavan here on Monday followed by the employees of the District Panchayat Office.
''It is a nice way to articulate the demand for Samaikyandhra. All integrationists should follow suit to highlight their demand in a socially responsible manner'', said visibly-happy Ch Chalamaiah, secretary of the Prakasam district unit of the Indian Red Cross Society.
''I was worried over getting regular supply of blood in the wake of the ongoing stir. I am happy getting 31 units of blood in a single day'', added Dr. Chalamaiah, also President of the Indian Medical Association Ongole Chapter, a day ahead of the private hospitals shutdown on Tuesday to impress upon the Centre to keep the state united.
Municipal employees staged a novel protest at the Church Centre here.
They sat in rows and started chewing fodder to highlight the acute water scarcity that would hit the already drought-prone Prakasam district in the event of division of the state as people here were fully dependent on water replenishments from river krishna already embroiled in riparian rows which would get accentuated with creation of another upper riparian state of Telangana.
Over 200 members of the Vasavi Seva Dal observed a hunger strike to avert the bifurcation of the State formed after the supreme sacrifice made by Amarajeevi Potti Sriramulu.
‘Ksheerabhishekam’
Meanwhile, Samaikyandhra SC,ST, BC, Minorities political JAC was formed with Congress leader K.Rajasekhar as its convenor, TDP SC Cell district president Kommuri Ravichandra as co-convenor, and Lok Satta Party leader Md. Rafi Ahamad as its vice-Chairman.
Implementation of welfare schemes would be hit hard if the state was divided as Hyderabad developed by combined efforts of people from different regions in the state, accounted for a large chunk of the state's revenue, they said before performing ''Ksheerabhishekam'' to the statue of Potti Sriramulu.
In Chirala, integrationists walked on their knees, while the Samaikyandhra protagonists took out an impressive march in Markapur.
Similar protests were also organised in Kandukur, Kanigiri, Yerragondapalem, Giddalur, Martur and Parchur in the district.
Published - September 18, 2013 04:07 pm IST
