Oppn parties stage 'Rasta Roko' for special category status to AP

Traffic on all national highways came to a halt in Andhra Pradesh on Thursday as all opposition parties blocked highways demanding Special Category Status for state.

The Rasta Roko agitation which concluded peacefully without any untoward incident also got support from ruling Telugu Desam Party which has announced moral support to the call given by opposition parties.

Owing to the ongoing SSC exam in the state, the police had announced alternative routes in all major cities including Vijayawada facilitating smooth movement of traffic through feeder roads.

While all the vehicles going towards Hyderabad were diverted to Sathupalli-Tallada-Khammam- Suryapet, vehicular movement towards east coast was diverted to Sathupalli-Devarapalli. Traffic towards Chennai has been diverted towards Machilipatnam- Bapatla-Ongole route. Vehicles stranded on the highways were cleared by the Highway patrol police within hours of the agitation.

"We have declared support to the peaceful protests today as BJP is acting vengefully instead of helping the state that lost everything due to the bifurcation," chief minister and TDP chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu said in Legislative council. He wondered how the BJP which has been a part of state government is blaming him for corruption. "Is it right to demand a CBI inquiry based on CAG report. How many cases will the centre file based on audit reports," he questioned.

Supporters of state Congress party, YSR Congress, Left parties and Janasena took part in the two-hour long Rasta Roko agitation. Police pacified activists of TDP and YSRCP who raised slogans against each other near Ibrahimpatnam on the outskirts of Vijayawada. The blockade of highways was successful in Visakhapatnam Anantapur, Tirupati, Vijayawada, Rajahmundry and Kurnool.