The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Momentous occasion for Guthikonda Bilam

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Oct 11, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Momentous occasion for Guthikonda Bilam

By Ramesh Susarla

COMRADES IN ARMS: The People's War State committee secretary, Ramakrishna, seen with senior party colleague, Patel Sudhakar Reddy (standing behind), In the Nallamalla forest near Srisailam in this file photo.

GUTHIKONDA (GUNTUR DIST.), OCT. 10. History will be created at Guthikonda Bilam on Monday with the emergence of top leaders of the People's War from their hideout after two decades of armed struggle and the event generating tremendous curiosity among the people.

The proposed re-emergence of the People's War State Committee Secretary, Akkiraju Haragopal alias Ramakrishna alias RK, at Guthikonda village on Monday morning is the event being most eagerly looked forward to.

Security for leaders

The police will provide security to the People's War leaders from the time they come into the open at the village here. It will be a family reunion of sorts with RK's elder sister, Pinneli Kusuma, expressing her desire to meet him here.

A number of sympathizers and RK's friends in the movement and out of it will congregate here to have a glimpse of the 46-year-old RK. Married to a PWD engineer, Prabhakara Sarma, and residing in Piduguralla, Ms Kusuma had kept her identity a closely guarded secret till Saturday.

Organising secretary of the meeting, Ganganna alias Narasimha Reddy, told newsmen on Sunday that they were not worried about the security of their party leaders - RK, Ganesh, and Sudhakar, as it was on the State Government's assurance that full security would be provided to them till talks were over on October 15.

Ganganna expressed anguish over the statement of the Guntur Superintendent of Police, Jitender, that the People's War was resorting to extortion and threatening people if they refused to provide vehicles to mobilize people. "We are bound by the ceasefire agreement and wish to make the proposed talks a success, hence are trying to function as any other democratic political party, but the police are trying to put hurdles in the process," he alleged at the formal interaction with the media.

He wanted the Government to restrain the police from making such statements and make the atmosphere as congenial as possible for the conduct of the meeting, he said. A large number of people wish to see the PW leaders who would be making the public appearance for the first time, hence estimates by the police that only 10,000 persons would come to the meeting were wrong, he opined.

Meeting at memorial

Vehicles would be stopped at the village and people would be allowed to proceed on foot to the Bilam (venue of meeting), which is about 4.5 km. A massive rally would culminate in a meeting at the martyrs' memorial with RK speaking on the present condition of society, the party's course of action and its duties. While Varavara Rao, Kalyana Rao and Gaddar would speak on several aspects of the Naxalbari movement, the Janashakti State secretary, Amar, and its leader Riaz would be present on the occasion.

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