Responding to the ongoing turmoil over Amaravati and the three-capitals proposal of the Andhra government, Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan has now demanded that the Union government should convene an all-party meeting break the impasse in the state. Speaking to reporters along with Jana Sena Political Affairs Committee chairman Nadendla Manohar at the party headquarters in Amaravati, Pawan wanted the Centre to step in as the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy government's proposal to have three capitals for the state instead of Amaravati has caused unrest among people.
Pawan Kalyan said that the Union government has an obligation under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, to sort out the state capital issue. Pawan said, "The BJP-led NDA government has a pivotal role. It cannot let unrest prevail in the state as that could threaten national integrity." He added the Congress and BJP should clearly spell out their stand on the capital issue as both were responsible for the bifurcation of AP.
Pawan added that he doesn't want the state to suffer further as it already suffered with the bifurcation: "The BJP played a key role in the division of the state and it should now take the lead to end the impasse.The state has already suffered because of the bifurcation and it should not suffer further."
Earlier, the Jana Sena chief had toured the Amaravati region and interacted with villagers. He said that farmers who gave up over 33,000 acres of their fertile agricultural lands for building the state capital should not suffer. The state government should talk to farmers first and address their concerns before making a decision on the capital, he said. "The state government should talk to farmers and other stakeholders. It should not take unilateral decisions that could jeopardise the state's overall interests," Pawan noted.
Pawan said that as crores of rupees of public money has already been spent for creating certain vital infrastructure in the capital region, the shifting of capitals would cost more.
As many as 29 villages in the capital region Amaravati in Guntur district are witnessing protests by farmers and political parties following YSRCP's decision to consider three capitals for the state. The row broke after the GN Rao committee and Boston Consulting Group (BCG) suggested three capitals for the state to the state government, for the "de-centralization of the development" considering people's aspirations.
Earlier, this week former CM and opposition leader Chandrababu Naidu and his son Nara Lokesh were detained for protesting.