Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh)

TDP cadre in Andhra Pradesh celebrated the Bhogi festival on Wednesday with traditional fervour, while also symbolically protesting against the previous government by burning posters of former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy in bonfires.

Speaking to reporters, former Mayor Anuradha said that the Bhogi festival this year carried a strong symbolic message as people protested the actions of the previous government in Andhra Pradesh.

"Bhogi this year carried a strong symbolic message. People firmly rejected the actions of the previous government, which had placed the image of former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on farmers' passbooks--documents that represent ancestral land ownership. This move was viewed as an attempt to impose personal imagery on farmers' rightful land records. As a mark of protest, people symbolically rejected this act during Bhogi by consigning those passbooks to the Bhogi bonfires," Anuradha said.

Furthermore, TDP Lok Sabha MP Kesineni Sivanath highlighted the joy and enthusiasm with which people across Andhra Pradesh are celebrating the three-day Sankranti festival.

"People across Andhra Pradesh are celebrating Sankranti with immense joy and enthusiasm over three days. Sankranti, though traditionally a rural festival, is now celebrated with equal fervour in urban areas as well. During the festive period, people from various regions return to their native villages to spend quality time with their families and loved ones. The festival plays a vital role in strengthening family bonds and reconnecting people with their roots," Sivanath said to the reporters.

Earlier today, former BJP MP GVL Narasimha Rao said that Bhogi, the first day of the four-day Sankranti festival, is a time to discard past negativity and pray for prosperity and happiness in everyone's life. Rao celebrated Bhogi Pongal at Andhra University grounds in Visakhapatnam, performing traditional rituals including lighting the bonfire and chanting mantras to mark the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion, he said, "Today marks the beginning of the four-day Sankranti festival. On Bhogi day, the first day of the festival, we pray to God to end any negativity we have experienced in the past and to bring prosperity and happiness to everyone. This morning, we lit a bonfire, chanted mantras and conducted a pooja karyakram for Agnidev. May this Sankranti bring happiness in the lives of everyone."

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Andhra Pradesh is celebrating Sankranti, the state's biggest harvest festival, with traditional fervour, and elaborate preparations are underway across districts. Beyond being a day of cleaning and discarding old times, the four-day festival, beginning with Bhogi, is seeing increased activity in villages and towns as people return to their hometowns to celebrate with family.