Date:10/10/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/10/stories/2008101053380800.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Political parties in Adilabad become ‘protest-ready’

S. Harpal Singh

ADILABAD: In these days of fast paced developments, political parties, especially of the opposition kind, need to be better organised to face contingencies. Outifts of the Left stream and more recently the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) have taken to being in a state of ‘readiness’ with a view to organise instant protests.

“Proper attention is given for readying the props needed for staging protests. Activists need party flags and in many instants the effigy of a ruling party dignitary for burning as a mark of protest. Before the proliferation of media and the advent of the mobile phones we had ample time for making such preparations. Now, we are required to react instantly on ‘burning’ issuesIt is here that advance preparation is of much help,” explains B. Goverdhan Reddy, Adilabad District president of Telugu Ryhtu.

Left idea

At any given point of time, the TDP office has a couple of effigies in reserve. Party workers keep about 200 small party flags ready for use during demonstrations besides a score of blank placards.

“We take instant computer print outs to be pasted on the placards instead of making the boards afresh every time a demonstration is staged.

Two party activists have been given charge of distributing flags before the protest and collecting it back after the demonstration is over. This way, we save of lot of time and cloth. We have borrowed this strategy from the Communist Party of India (Marxist),” adds Mr. Goverdhan Reddy. A pat on the back from the party bosses is what the local cadres get in case the protest is timely.