An all-party meeting was held in Andhra Pradesh's Guntur district, to discuss the potential move by the YSRCP government to shift the state’s capital from Amaravati.
Leaders of Telugu Desam Party (TDP), actor-politician Pawan Kalyan's Jana Sena Party (JSP), Communist Party of India (CPI) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) attended the meeting.
Last week, an expert committee, which was constituted by the YSRCP government to decide the fate of the Amaravati’s capital status and headed by G N Rao, had announced that it had recommended three capitals -- in Amaravati, Vizag, and Kurnool.
The G N Rao Committee had recommended that the executive capital must be shifted to Visakhapatnam from Amaravati, while the judicial capital and High Court could be in Kurnool.
"Assembly and Raj Bhavan will remain in Amaravati, and we will transform the region into an educational hub," Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister Botcha Satyanarayana had told reporters on Monday.
At the meeting in Thullur, parties discussed the repercussions of the move and the cost on the state exchequer, as the government was already bearing the brunt of a financial crunch.
Speaking at the meet, TDP leader and former state minister Prathipati Pulla Rao said, "It is important to develop this region (Guntur district) as well. When it was announced that the capital is coming here (Amaravati), it should come up here. Otherwise, each person living here will be hurt, irrespective of their party affiliation."
"I urge the YSRCP government to take the feelings of locals in the Amaravati region into account. Many have voted for you as well. Take that into consideration," he added.
Many leaders also pointed out that the state government would have to bear the additional financial burden of travelling from Visakhapatnam to Amaravati, each time a session of the Legislature convenes, and then to Kurnool to attend court hearings.
Meanwhile, farmers in Amaravati continued to stage protests against the state government's proposed move.
Earlier in the day, BJP state chief Kanna Lakshminarayana had met with the farmers and assured them of his support. Speaking to reporters, he urged the state government to reconsider their decision.
Meanwhile, all eyes are on a cabinet meeting scheduled to be held in Visakhapatnam on December 27, where the state government is expected to discuss the committee's recommendations and announce its final decision.