Amalapuram mourns departed leader

amalapuram: the news of the sudden death of lok sabha speaker g m c balayogi has come as a rude shock for the people of east godavari district.
several towns in the district, amalapuram, edurulanka (where balayogi was born), peddapadu, pulletikuru, ramayanpeta, ravulapalem and sitanagaram, and torredu observed instant bandhs as a mark of respect for the departed leader.
at several points on the road from rajahmundry to amalapuram, telugu desam party activists had put up tents with lamps and balayogi''s photos. the movement of rtc buses was affected in most of these areas as the party activists threatened the drivers that their buses would be damaged if they plied them.
meanwhile, there is an uneasy calm at amalapuram and scores of people are seen on the roads discussing about the tragedy.
according to ramulaiah, a peasant of the area, balayogi was a "devudu", (god) for them. he said balayogi was always with his constituents in times of good and bad time. even after becoming the speaker of the lok sabha, he never forgot his constituents. he used to come all the way to attend even a small function in the constituency, he added.
according to the rajahmundry mayor chakaravarti and mla g butchaiah choudary, balayogi was "solely responsible" for the speedy development of the konaseema region.
the rise of balayogi as the speaker had generated new hope among the dalits and backward classes in the district. they said that the construction of edurlanka- yanam bridge and kakinada-edurulanka highway project were his gift to the konaseema.
the village elders in amalapuram feel that the death of balayogi had caused an irreparable damage to the people of the district. people of nearby areas like anaparthi, dwarapudi etc said the east godavari district owes a lot to the speaker.
according to the president of the railway users association, anaparti, m p sarma, balayogi''s contribution for the development of the railway platform at anaparti and stoppage of super fast trains was unforgettable.
he was "a true people''s representative," he added.