VIJAYAWADA: State Legislative Assembly on Thursday witnessed a short discussion on decentralised development, with ruling YSRC members speaking in favour of the three capitals and opposition TD legislators maintaining that Amaravati must remain the sole capital of AP.
Finance minister Buggana Rajendranath Reddy claimed that majority of the lands in Amaravati have come into possession of Telugu Desam leaders because of insider trading prior to the announcement that it will be the state capital. Rajendranath Reddy went on to name several opposition leaders in this regard, which led to a ruckus in the house.
Participating in the short discussion, ruling party member Bhumana Karunakar Reddy backed decentralisation of administration while tracing historical aspects of the state and how Rayalaseema has been getting a raw deal. He recalled that Kurnool and Visakhapatnam have been cited as capitals on previous occasions too.
The YSRC legislator maintained that formation of new districts in itself is decentralisation, which have been named after prominent figures including NTR, Annamayya, Alluri and Satyasai.
Former minister Kodali Venkateswara Rao alias Nani said decentralisation policy of Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has been welcomed by people of all regions. The support to three capitals has been expressed by people by electing YSRC in elections to local bodies after assembly and Lok Sabha elections of 2019.
Nani went on to allege that (TD chief N. Chandrababu) Naidu has turned Amaravati into Kammaravati by benefitting one social group. He created Bhramaravati (illusion) by showing development of Amaravati only by way of graphics.
TD MLAs Payyavula Keshav and Nimmala Rama Naidu severely objected to criticism of TDP with regard to Amaravati. They pointed out that Jagan Mohan Reddy himself supported Amaravati as capital while campaigning during assembly elections.
The TD legislators claimed that as per AP High Court’s verdict, the state’s capital cannot be shifted from Amaravati.
