The Amaravati agitation over the issue of “one state, one capital” has completed one year, and farmers, women and youth protestors have sworn to continue further till CM Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy withdraws its plan for building three capitals.
The agitators planned rallies and public meetings to mark the anniversary of their protests, which coincided with Jaganmohan Reddy’s tour to Delhi. The Andhra Pradesh CM is expecting to seek the Central government’s support for his move to shift the state capital to Visakhapatnam.
BJP leaders in Andhra Pradesh have been saying repeatedly that their party has taken a stand for Amaravati to continue as the capital city. Andhra Pradesh BJP chief Somu Veeraju reiterated the point recently, ahead of the Tirupati bypolls. Parakala Prabhakar, husband of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, has even come out with a film expressing anguish over the ‘destruction’ of Amaravati.
The TDP and Jana Sena Party are also supporting Amaravati as the only capital city, and the YCP think tank and MPs are also making every effort to get a grip over the issue before it slips out of control. Needless to say that CM Jaganmohan Reddy is now fighting a lonely battle against multiple parties and sections of society.
Political analysts are saying that this is the critical juncture when the AP CM needs to secure the positive nod of PM Modi and Amit Shah for his ‘three capitals’ plan. While the Central government has filed an affidavit in the high court saying that the decision about the capital is completely under the purview of the state government, the BJP continues to oppose the three capital formula on the ground.