Former Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party chief Chandrababu Naidu visited Amaravati villages on Wednesday, to hear the grievances of protestors and to extend his support to them. Farmers and landowners in Amaravati have been protesting for the past 15 days against the YSRCP government’s proposal to set up three capitals for Andhra Pradesh, diluting the status of Amaravati as the sole capital.
Addressing the protestors at Yerrabalem village, Naidu said, “New Year's day is an occasion for everyone to be happy. It’s upsetting that not just the 29 villages of Amaravati but the entire state is grieving. This is a time for the 5 crore people of Andhra Pradesh to think carefully, as the fate of future generations is at stake”.
The former TDP government had pooled land from farmers and landowners from 29 villages of Amaravati for the ambitious capital project floated by Naidu. With the YSRCP government now proposing to set up three capitals in Vizag, Kurnool and Amaravati, those who had pooled their land expecting developed plots in return, are worried about the capital status of Amaravati becoming diluted. However, the decision has invoked mixed reactions from the people of Rayalaseema, Vizag and North Andhra regions who had been complaining about uneven development in the state.
Naidu refuted accusations that the TDP’s actions had only benefited others from the Kamma caste, stating that in Yerrabalem itself, Kammas were a minority in number. The YSRCP government had halted works in Amaravati soon after coming to power, alleging irregularities and ‘insider trading’ in the land pooling process.
The G N Rao committee, an expert committee set up by the government comprising of urban planning experts had recommended the decentralisation of administration in the state by setting up three capitals, and setting up regional commissionerates in four regions of the state. Naidu dismissed the validity of the various committees, like the cabinet sub-committee and Peter committee set up for studying the allegations of insider trading, and the G N Rao committee and the BCG (Boston Consulting Group) team roped in to look into decentralised development.
Naidu also took several digs at CM Jagan and his governance. “Google ‘khaidi number 6093 and you will see the name of Andhra Pradesh’s 17th CM Jagan Mohan Reddy,” he said, referring to Jagan’s arrest and stay in prison in the disproportionate assets case in 2012.