PNS|Vijayawada
‘Gramala Abhivrudhikai Sarpanchula Samara Sankharavam’ was organised by the Andhra Pradesh Panchayat Raj Chamber and the Andhra Pradesh Sarpanches Association at Tirupati on Tuesday, demanding that the 14th and 15th Finance Commission funds, which were diverted from panchayats’ bank accounts, be brought back.
As many as 70 sarpanches reached Tirumala to have darshan of Sri Venkateswara Swamy to offer special pujas for getting back the funds. However, the Tirupati district police arrested 100 sarpanches, including AP PR Chamber president and former MLC YVB Rajendra Prasad, as they were set to perform the ‘Mettu Puja’ and go to Tirumala through the stairway.
Around 200 sarpanches from all 26 districts of the State had reached Tirupati to take part in the agitation and they gathered at the Alipiri stairway. In view of the agitation, the Tirupati police had beefed up security.
Meanwhile, YVB Rajendra Prasad and other Chamber leaders reached Alipiri and started the ‘Metttu Puja’. The Tirupati police rushed to Alipiri and took 100 sarpanches including the former MLC into custody and shifted them to Ramachandrapuram Police Station under Chandragiri Circle. However, the other 70 sarpanches managed to reach Tirumala in the afternoon through the stairway avoiding police glare.
Meanwhile, the arrested sarpanches staged a protest by squatting on the floor at the Ramachandrapuram Police Station, raising slogans against the police and the State government. The police did not release them until the evening.
Rajendra Prasad said that the State government should return the Finance Commission funds to the panchayats and release special funds for the development of villages. He also demanded that the Sachivalayam system be brought back under the control of sarpanches. “If the State government ignored the demands of sarpanches, the agitations would be strengthened,” he warned, adding that the police should release the sarpanches without filing any cases.
The sarpanches who reached Tirumala said that they would have Sri Venkateswara Swamy darshan and pray that the government take the right decision. They said the agitation ‘Gramala Abhivrudhikai Sarpanchula Samara Sankharavam’ was successful and that they would continue the stir until all their 12 demands were met.
