Andhra capital Bill gets Governor’s nod; TDP calls it a ‘historic blunder’

After Andhra Pradesh Governor Biswa Bhusan Harichandan gave his assent to the Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of all Regions Bill and APCRDA Repeal Bill, Somu Veerraju, the president of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) state unit, said his party was still supporting Amaravati farmer’s agitation and demanded that the current government should fulfil all assurances given to them.

“Today, the Governor has approved the capital Bill. We won’t make any political comment on that as our party respects the constitutional systems. We feel that all political parties should give a thought to that angle. (Having) three capitals is the decision of the state government, led by the YSRCP. Our thoughts are very clear. We are committed to Amaravati. We are supporting the Amaravati farmers’ agitation even now. We demand that the present government fulfil all assurances given to those farmers,” said Veerraju.

While responding on the Communist Party of India’s (CPI’s) allegation that the BJP was the next culprit after the YSRCP, as there was BJP’s hand behind the Governor’s decision, Veerraju said: “The Governor is not a political system but a constitutional system. I absolutely differ with the CPI comment. In fact, their party culture itself has no respect for constitutional bodies or democracy. I am surprised by their reaction.”

On being asked about the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) calling it a “black day” and asking whether the BJP had nothing to offer to the village, Veerraju said: “We expressed our decision very clearly. We had extended full support to the proposal to make Amaravati the capital when the issue was taken up in the AP Assembly. The AP BJP unit is committed to that agitation. Our president had extended absolute support to the farmers’ protests. Many of our party leaders took part in that agitation.”

TDP National President and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu challenged CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy to seek a re-election as a final referendum on the proposed trifurcation of the capital city for Andhra Pradesh.

Naidu said Reddy was taking a sadistic pleasure in demolishing and destroying Amaravati. He recalled that his successor (Reddy) favoured Amaravati as the capital when he was in Opposition. He had called for finding 30,000 acres to develop a potential capital for AP but now he is taking an “insane step to destroy Amaravati in the name of 3 capitals and inclusive growth”.