Hyderabad: The ruling Telugu Desam outsmarted the Opposition YSR Congress over the state capital announcement in the Assembly on Thursday. The TD had leaked information to the media that Chief Mininster N. Chandrababu Naidu would make the announcement at 12.17 pm. However, Mr Naidu made the statement an hour early at 11.15 am, taking everyone by surprise.
Paying no heed to YSRC leaders’ demand for a discussion before the announcement, the TD turned the tables on the Opposition party, forcing it into a discussion only after the CM’s announcement on the capital location.
Since the Assembly session commenced for the day at 9 am, YSRC member Srikant Reddy and others, through an adjournment motion, insisted that discussion be taken up on the capital, followed by voting and then the CM could make his statement.
Persisting with this demand, the YSRC MLAs did not allow the agenda of the House to be taken up and rushed to the well, stalling the proceedings. As a result, the Speaker adjourned the House twice. But when the House met after the second break, Mr Naidu came into the House and gave his statement at around 11.15 am even as YSRC members protested and raised a din.
Later, the YSRC members participated in the discussion on the capital city, with the ruling party having the last laugh. While the YSRC welcomed the choice of Vijayawada as the capital of Andhra Pradesh, it criticised the government for making the announcement before allowing a discussion on the issue.
The party also said that it would go along with choice because it didn’t want further regional polarisation. However, YSRC legislators questioned the government why it had ignored the recommendations of the Sivaramakrishnan Committee, to which Mr Naidu replied that the committee itself had stated that the selection of the capital was the prerogative of the state government.
Leader of Opposition Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy said, “What we feared has happened. We have no objection over the choice of the capital but only the way it has been chosen.” He further said, “We welcome Vijayawada as the capital. We don’t want further regional fissures and want the state to remain one.” He added that the discussion should have been taken up first.
Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy also rejected the idea of land pooling and said it would only give birth to more zamindars. “There should be at least 30,000 acres of land so that prices are in control. You are talking about land pooling. This is very sad. You are only encouraging real estate and naya zamindars,” he said.
YSRC legislator B. Rajendranath Reddy said the opinion of the legislature should have been taken prior to the decision. “The Sivaramakrishnan Committee recommended eight greenfield locations, but information on them was not provided by the government when sought,” he said, adding, “The Committee suggested three ways of land acquisition, but the government is taking up a new model, ‘Secret Private Partnership’.”
