Amaravati: Hundreds of farmers on Monday launched a 45-day padayatra (foot march), ‘Nyayasthanam to Devasthanam’ (court to temple), demanding that Amaravati be retained as the capital of Andhra Pradesh.
The Telugu Desam Party, Congress, CPI and other parties extended support to the farmers.
Former Union Minister Renuka Chowdhury drove a tractor, as the farmers marched on, and extended solidarity with them.
For over 680 days now, farmers in the Amaravati region have been continuing an agitation opposing the Jagan Mohan Reddy government’s move to trifurcate the state capital.
They are also fighting a legal battle on the issue.
The farmers, who reportedly parted with over 33,000 acres of their fertile lands for the construction of divided AP’s new capital, have now undertaken the padayatra to Tirumala, the abode of Lord Venkateswara, to press their demand for retaining Amaravati as the sole capital of the state.
The foot march will traverse through over 70 villages in Guntur, Prakasam, SPS Nellore and Chittoor districts before reaching temple-town Tirupati on December 17.