GUNTUR: Bapatla holds a significant place in Andhra’s history as the birthplace of the movement for a separate state. While Andhra Pradesh was officially formed as the first linguistic state on October 1, 1953, the foundations of this movement were laid much earlier during the First Andhra Conference in Bapatla on May 26, 1913.
PC Sai Babu, Secretary of the Forum for Better Bapatla, remarked, “This conference was a milestone in the struggle for the creation of linguistic states. It was here that the Telugu people first voiced their desire for a separate state.”
The demand for a distinct Andhra State stemmed from the lack of political representation for the Telugu population, which, despite making up 40% of the Madras Presidency's population and 58% of its territory, often faced second-class treatment. The 1913 conference, led by Bayya Narsimheswara Sarma, a member of the Madras Legislative Council, laid the groundwork for linguistic states, with Andhra becoming the first.
Notable figures such as Bhogaraju Pattabhi Seetaramayya, Pingali Venkayya, and Ayyadevara Kaleswara Rao attended the historic conference, marking a turning point for the Telugu people. This momentum led to the annual Andhra Mahasabhas, which continued until 1943.
The movement gained further momentum in 1952 when Potti Sriramulu embarked on a hunger strike, demanding that Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru honor his promise to form an Andhra State. Sriramulu’s death on December 15, 1952, during his fast, sparked widespread unrest, resulting in several fatalities.
In response, on December 19, 1952, Prime Minister Nehru announced the formation of Andhra, which was officially established on October 1, 1953, with Kurnool as the capital and Tanguturi Prakasam Pantulu as the first chief minister.