TDP's Naidu slams Jagan, says 'CM's 3-capitals plan has no approval of Andhra people'

Slamming the YS Jaganmohan Reddy government for going ahead with its three capitals plan, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) supremo N Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday said that the government has "no approval" of the people of Andhra Pradesh. The agitation for keeping Amaravati as the one and only Capital of Andhra Pradesh began on December 18, 2019. The agitation began in protest against the three-capitals announcement made by Reddy in the State Assembly on December 17. 

Naidu alleged that YSRCP is "afraid of seeking fresh mandate which is a clear indication of how the people's mood is strongly against the shifting of capital." He also stated that the Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government has not come forward to accept the "TDP's challenge" to dissolve the Assembly and seek re-election on the promise of three capitals.

He further cited the need for the people in all the 13 districts in the state to show their total solidarity to the continuing 'Ranabheri' agitation in Amaravati.

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Earlier, Naidu had shot off a letter to Andhra Pradesh Governor Biswabhushan Harichandan, requesting him to consider the interests and future aspirations of all sections of the state before giving assent to bills meant for the decentralisation of the state capital. In a six-page letter, the TDP chief said the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council has not rejected but only referred the 'two anti-people bills' to the Select Committee

READ: Chandrababu Naidu wants Ayodhya-type resolution for Andhra Pradesh's 3 capital issue

Andhra Governor Approves Three-capital Bill

Andhra Governor approved the repeal of the AP Capital Region Development Authority Act, 2014, and the passage of AP Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Bill, 2020. This implies that Visakhapatnam, Amaravati, and Kurnool shall become the administrative, legislative, and judicial capital of the state respectively. 

While the two bills were originally passed by the AP Assembly on January 20, the Legislative Council where the TDP has a majority referred them to a select committee. However, these bills were again cleared in the Assembly on June 16 after which the Legislative Council was adjourned indefinitely without any discussion on the aforesaid legislation. According to the ruling YSRCP, these bills are deemed to have been passed after the Legislative Council could not pass the bills within the stipulated time. 

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