The head of the opposition Telugu Desam party, N Chandrababu Naidu, on Thursday challenged the government of YS Jagan Mohan Reddy to hold a referendum on the three capitals for the state plan and vowed to abandon politics if the people voted for him. He demanded that the Chief Minister apologize to the people and withdraw the measure to relocate the state capital in deference to the wishes of six million people in the state.
Naidu addressed a massive “Amaravati Janabheri” rally in Rayapudi village here to mark the first anniversary of the farmers’ struggle to retain Amaravati as the state capital. Meanwhile, the TDP alleged that several of its leaders and others from the opposition were placed under “house arrest” throughout the state to prevent them from participating in the demonstration.
It was on this day last year that the Chief Minister came up with the idea of having three capitals for the state, along the lines of South Africa. Subsequently, his government passed legislation that names Visakhapatnam as the Executive Capital and Kurnool as the Judicial Capital, while retaining Amaravati as the Legislative Capital.
The matter is now sub-judice as farmers who had given over 33,000 acres of their fertile lands for the development of the city of Amaravati, moved to the Andhra Pradesh High Court opposing the relocation of the state capital. Since December 17, local farmers, with the support of political parties and other organizations, have been waging peaceful agitation demanding that Amaravati be retained as the state capital.
Except for the ruling YSR Congress, all the political parties and popular organizations supported the agitation and participated in the demonstration that took place amid severe restrictions by the police. “No sane person will change the (state) capital. In case, are you ready for a referendum on the issue? I will leave politics permanently if people support your movement,” Naidu told Jagan Reddy.
He called the YSRC boss once CM and claimed that the latter would surely bite the dust on the hustings next time. “The people voted Jagan to power after he sought only one chance. But this would be his last chance, as he completely betrayed the people. He cannot escape the curse of women,” said the opposition leader in the Assembly.
Previously, Naidu toured the bhoomi puja site in the village of Uddandarayanipalem, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone for the development of Amaravati in October 2015. The supreme of the TDP then entered Yagashala, where a yagnam was performed. in 2015, and he paid tribute by bowing down.
The opposition party claimed that Naidu was initially prevented from visiting the village and allowed only after its leaders lodged a protest with senior police officials. Hundreds of policemen were posted on all roads in the capital region and even normal traffic was not allowed, particularly towards the villages of Mandadam and Velagapudi, where the Secretary of State is located.
TDP leaders, including former Vice Minister N China Rajappa, were kept under house arrest in different districts, the party alleged. The opposition leader in the state Legislative Council, Yanamala Ramakrishnudu, said that the “house arrests” only expose the “cowardice” of the Chief Minister.
All democratic forces must condemn the “oppressive acts” of the Jagan Mohan Reddy regime, it said in a statement. BJP state president Somu Veerraju, who sympathized with the agitated farmers, said in a statement that his party represented Amaravati as the state capital.
“The BJP will undertake a movement for Amaravati as the capital. We will put pressure on the state government. The central government is committed to doing everything that is beneficial to the state,” Veerraju said.
Congress, which also extended its support for the farmers’ agitation, said that Jagan, as the then leader of the opposition, voted for Amaravati as the capital city. “Even the people of Rayalaseema, the region Jagan belongs to, are opposed to the idea of the three capitals. He should give it up,” said Acting President of Congress N Thulasi Reddy.
Left-wing parties, Jana Sena and other groups supported the Amaravati agitation.
(With PTI inputs)
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