Andhra Pradesh assembly has unanimously adopted a resolution requesting the Central government to extend legal status to the capital city of Amaravati by amending Section-5 of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 during the ongoing Parliament sessions.
The resolution urged the Centre to include the word “Amaravati” to subsection (2) of Section 5 of the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014 and add words: “Amaravati includes the capital city areas notified under Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority Act, 2014” to the explanation to Section-5.
Moving a resolution in the House, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who is credited with envisioning Amaravati as the modern capital city, said the purpose of the resolution was to get official recognition to Amaravati as the capital of Andhra Pradesh and to define its boundaries as per the Act for the comprehensive development of the state.
“The resolution would be sent to the Centre immediately, so that necessary amendments would be made to the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014 during the ongoing Parliament session,” Naidu said.
A special session was convened solely to deliberate and adopt this resolution.
Naidu launched a frontal attack on former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and his YSR Congress Party, branding them "betrayers of Amaravati" for their shifting stance and repeated attempts to derail the capital project. He said that while the bifurcation of the state had not troubled him, the continued obstruction of Andhra Pradesh's progress did. He issued a stern warning that anyone attempting to create unrest, sabotage development, or interfere with Amaravati's growth would face severe consequences.
The chief minister asserted that once the amendments were carried out, Amaravati would remain the sole and permanent capital of the state. “No one can touch the capital and that it will not move even an inch,” he said, while speaking at the conclusion of the debate in the assembly.
Naidu said the state needed clarity, stability and legal protection on the capital issue in the interest of Andhra Pradesh’s comprehensive development.
Tracing the historical significance of Amaravati, the Chief Minister said the region between the Krishna and Godavari rivers had once served as the capital under the Satavahanas. “This is the land of the Telugu people with a glorious and ancient history, rich in culture and tradition,” Naidu said.
The chief minister said the Sivaramakrishnan committee had itself indicated that 46 per cent of people preferred the capital to be located between Vijayawada and Guntur.
He stressed that Amaravati as the capital did not mean all development would be concentrated there. He said his government had always believed in decentralisation of development, and had therefore distributed several national-level institutions across different parts of the state.
Naidu paid glowing tribute to the farmers of the capital region, recalling that after consultations, they had voluntarily given 34,000 acres within just 58 days for the capital city project. “I bow my head in respect and offer my salutations to the farmers who gave their lands for the capital,” he said.
The chief minister said Amaravati had been envisioned as a self-sustaining project, and reiterated that the vision would certainly be realised.
Giving an update on the capital city works, he said his government had set a target of giving Amaravati a visible shape by 2028. By 2027, trunk roads, layouts and other major infrastructure works would be completed. At present, 91 works worth Rs 56,000 crore are currently progressing rapidly in Amaravati.
Since Telangana's carving out from the original Andhra Pradesh in 2014, Amaravati has been at the centre of the state's political and developmental discourse. Following that year's elections, Naidu announced Amaravati as the new state's capital.
The issue grew contentious during the YSRCP's tenure from 2019 to 2024, when the government proposed a three-capital model Amaravati as the legislative capital, Visakhapatnam as the executive capital, and Kurnool as the judicial capital. With the TDP returning to power in 2024 in alliance with Jana Sena and the BJP, Amaravati has once again taken centre stage.
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