There are already districts in some parts of the country named after Ambedkar. Various high institutions have named him. However, the proposal to name Konaseema district after Ambedkar became a major controversy.

Initially, the government did not respond to a request for comment. With that, the anxiety went on for about three months. Protests in various forms continued from january to the first week of April, after the division of districts proposal was advanced.

Initiations, rallies and long marches were also held under the slogan of naming the district after Amalapuram as the center of Dr. BR Ambedkar. These included public representatives of various parties and various associations. The janasena party went straight for initiations. The ruling ycp ministers and MLAs submitted the petition directly to the CM. tdp chief Chandrababu also demanded that Ambedkar be named after a meeting in Thalarevu in the first week of May. The bjp has also announced that it is supporting this demand.

TK Vishwanath, a senior journalist from Konaseema, said that although all the parties wanted Ambedkar's name, all the activists of those parties were against it.

"In the words of the leaders, it did not materialize. Many of the leaders openly supported and tried to provoke the youth internally. With the exception of Ambedkar's name, the formation of the district under the name of Konaseema was supposed to be all right. But during YS Jagan's visit to Mummidivaram constituency, the controversy came to the fore once again. The ruling party has put pressure on the leaders. It has been brought to the notice of the CM. The government has given a preliminary notification. It is seen by others as an arbitrary move.

He said differences between SCs and other castes were reflected in the dispute. Vishwanath opined that the long-running controversy was the reason for this level of outrage over the formation of the Ambedkar district.

Intentionally, what are their arguments?

Former mp Harshakumar led various programs to form a district in the name of Ambedkar.

"Ambedkar was expected to be in the district. All factions supported him. The movement took place. There was no outcry from the government. It is not said that the proposal was made for any purpose. Such attempts in the name of Ambedkar are not good for political purposes. No one should resort to hate speech. These consequences are due to the failure of the government," he said. He opined.

"Konaseema has been finalized. There have also been proposals to name people like Dokka Seethamma. However, the name Konaseema has been kept. We want to keep it the same. Nobody likes that, "said kiran Kumar, a spokeswoman for the azad youth Association. The association is fighting to keep Konaseema district.

As soon as the initial notification arrives ..

The government has issued a preliminary notification renaming Dr BR Ambedkar as Konaseema district. The controversy took a turn for the worse with the May 16 notification. All those who had already demanded the district in the name of Ambedkar were dissatisfied that their wish had not come true. But, they all celebrated happily with the exceptional notification.

At that time, disputes broke out in several villages in Konaseema. Opponents of Ambedkar's name have started posting their protests on social media all week. There was resistance at the field level. In one or two villages, some youths raised concerns that Ambedkar had been insulted. The elders of the respective villages compromised and also anointed the idols of Ambedkar. It was felt that the problem was resolved.

But dissatisfaction and opposition reached the district center. On May 19, thousands of people stormed the Amalapuram Collectorate. The suicide attempt by some on that occasion provoked tensions.

"There were divisions between pro- and anti-Ambedkar districts in many villages. The government did not recognize it in a timely manner. It considered it a minor clash. The negligence in suppressing it eventually led to sabotage. The police could not anticipate the arrival of the youth. In the end, the SP was attacked but there was no one to control it.

He said the police could not do anything even while the houses of the minister and MLAs were being set on fire.