The opposition TDP MLAs staged a walkout from Assembly on Wednesday following a ruckus over the de-centralisation of the Andhra Pradesh capital. This came on the third day of the winter session, even as the discussion was set to take place on the shifting of the Andhra capital. Several TDP MLAs raised slogans and at one point of time entered into the well of the Assembly.
When Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy started speaking TDP MLA raised slogans of "Jai Amaravati" demanding the withdrawal of the Bill. Tension prevailed in the Assembly as ruling YSRCP MLAs objected to TDP legislators’ "objectionable behaviour."
Slamming TDP MLAs for creating pandemonium time and again and stopping proceedings of the House, Speaker Tammineni Seetaram warned, "If this continues, I will exercise all the actions that are available for me, it's not about the rights of you (TDP members) alone, other members too have rights."
CM Jagan also accused TDP of stalling the proceedings, stating, "They're acting like street rowdies by not letting the House function to discuss people’s problems. It's a directionless party." He further accused the TDP of trying to provoke YSRCP members and create a scene to get mileage in the media. Jagan then requested the Speaker to give directions to marshals to evict the TDP members who are creating a nuisance and entering the well of the Assembly. The CM’s directive for action against opposition members, however, triggered the TDP who decided to walk out. Over 10 members have staged a walkout by raising slogans against the YSRCP and the Speaker.
Slogans of “Down with the Speaker’s autocratic policy” were raised by members as they came out of House. The Andhra Pradesh Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Bill 2020, which seeks to pave the way for establishment of an executive capital in Visakhapatnam, legislative in Amaravati and judicial capital in Kurnool and another Bill to scrap the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) Act, 2014. were passed by the state Assembly late on Monday night. The Bill were passed amid opposition by the TDP and after suspension of 17 of its MLAs from the House for disrupting Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy's address.
The Bill on decentralisation also seeks to divide the state into various zones and establish zonal planning and development boards for the easing of administration. The village and (municipal) ward secretariats system that the government brought in in October last year now gets statutory backing as it has been made part of the new Bill.
The other Bill seeks to repeal the CRDA Act, enacted on December 22, 2014 for the development of the state capital post- bifurcation with a specific area demarcated as the capital development region.
The government's move for three capitals has triggered protests from the sections of farmers who had given their lands for the capital’s development in Amaravati.