Vijayawada: Hundreds of students and leaders of several political parties took part in the ‘Run for Unity’ to mark the death anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel here on Sunday.
The organisers said that the ‘Run for Unity’ was meant to spread the message of national integration.
Metropolitan Sessions Judge Justice R. Murali unveiled a statue of Sardar Patel at Swarajya Maidan and flagged off the run.
However, it was the presence of Congress MLAs Malladi Vishnu and V. Srinivas which created a flutter among the attendees, as many believe that the run was backed by the BJP.
The Congress MLAs, along with former TD MP G. Rammohan Rao, state Grandhalaya Samstha chairman T. Kutumba Rao, former BJP minister Y. Seetha Devi, BJP city president D. Umamaheswara Raju and other leaders took part in the run.
When asked what prompted him to take part in an event that was backed by the BJP across the country, Vishnu said, “We?participated in the run for the sake of Sardar Patel who did a lot for the country. It was a programme organised to mark the death anniversary of a leader who believed in unity.”?
“We were invited along with other political leaders. There is nothing wrong about our participation. The programme was organised by an NGO, not the BJP or the RSS. The BJP is trying to take advantage of such programmes,” the MLA added. The ‘Run for Unity’ was also organised at Machilipatnam, Avanigadda and other parts of the district.
