The Maha Padayatra by farmers and residents of villages located in the Amaravati capital region entered 28th day on Sunday, covering a distance of about 400 km.
Speaking to reporters, co-convener of the Amaravati Parirakshana Samithi Joint Action Committee (JAC) Tirupathi Rao said the march that had started from Venkatapalem in Guntur district had been receiving overwhelming response from the public en route to Arasavalli in Srikakulam district.
He said people from all sections had been expressing solidarity with the cause of the Amaravati farmers, who were left high and dry after they gave away their lands for construction of a new capital in Amaravati.
Mr. Thirupati Rao said braving heavy rain, the participants had been surging ahead continuously for the last nine days without any break. On Monday, he said the yatra would stop and resume on Tuesday.
Taking exception to criticism by the State Ministers and other ruling party leaders on the JAC leaders and the farmers participating in the yatra, he said that Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy should step down and seek a fresh mandate to prove that he had the backing of the people on his three-capital formula.
He said development had come to a grinding halt in the State as the ruling party leaders were resorting to large-scale corruption and making a fast buck at the cost of the common man.
