The agitating farmers of Amaravati capital villages met cricketer Ambati Rayudu in Velagapudi on Monday. The cricketer visited local Sri Veerabhadra Swamy temple and offered prayers to the deity.

On learning about the cricketer’s visit to their area, the farmers went to the temple and met him. They requested him to visit their protest camp at Mandadam and listen to their problems. They asked him to pay one visit to the camp as he had already visited the capital area.

However, Ambati Rayudu turned down their request and said that he would come some time later. He said he had come to the temple to worship and is not interested in speaking politics. He said he would speak about the issue at a later date.

When the farmers requested him to say Jai Amaravati, the cricketer softly rejected the request. He said he had come only to the temple and not to make any political statement. He further told them that he is aware of their issue as he had been visiting a few places in the state in the recent past.

He also told them that Amaravati would remain the capital of the state. However, he did not give clarity on his statement whether Amaravati would be the only capital of the state or would be part of the three capitals as declared by the state government.

The farmers who pinned hopes on the cricketer to say a few words in their favour were disappointed. They said that they expected the cricketer to visit them and say a few words to them after listening to their problems. However, they expressed confidence that the cricketer would support them one day, as he is aware of their problem.