YSRCP MP Vijayasai Reddy on Tuesday said that the capital of Andhra Pradesh would be shifted from Amaravati to Visakhapatnam at any cost, adding that even the COVID-19 pandemic could not stop it.
Addressing a gathering in Visakhapatnam, Vijayasai Reddy, who is known to be close to Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, said, "The state capital will change to Visakhapatnam. It will come here. It will not stop at any cost and no one has the power to stop it. We are only waiting for the right time to do it. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is in power in the Centre and YSRCP is in power in the state. Our relationship is cordial."
Responding to criticism from certain BJP leaders, the senior YSRCP leader said, "There are some leaders who shifted from Telugu Desam Party (TDP) to BJP in the state. These TDP 'jackals' are giving a bad name to BJP and damaging their image," he added.
The decision to decentralise the capital of Amaravati, which was conceived as a megalopolis by former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, had triggered a row in the state. The ruling YSRCP however, said that it needed to decentralise the administration of the state to ensure that development reached every corner.
In January this year, the Andhra Pradesh Assembly passed two Bills to decentralise the state's capital — Amaravati would be the legislative capital, Kurnool the judicial capital and Vizag the executive capital. However, it hit a roadblock in the Legislative Council, where Opposition TDP has a majority, as the Legislative Council chairman referred the Bills to a select committee on TDP’s demands.
Following this, the Assembly passed a statutory resolution seeking to abolish the Council. The resolution has been sent to the Union Government. If the Union Cabinet approves, the issue will come before Parliament for necessary enactment.
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