Andhra assembly passes resolution seeking amendment to AP Reorganisation Act for Amaravati

Hyderabad: The Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly unanimously passed a resolution on Saturday urging the Central Government to grant legal recognition to Amaravati as the state capital by amending the AP Reorganisation Act.

The resolution, moved by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu following an extensive five-and-a-half-hour debate, seeks statutory clarity on an issue that has long dominated the state's political landscape.

The Assembly specifically called upon the Centre to amend Section 5 of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, by inserting the words "at Amaravati" in sub-section (2) and expanding the accompanying explanation to clarify that Amaravati encompasses areas notified under the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority Act, 2014. The state government will forward the resolution to New Delhi for further action.

A special session was convened solely to deliberate and adopt this resolution. Tabling it, Naidu made an unequivocal declaration that Amaravati is, and will remain, the one and only permanent capital of Andhra Pradesh now endowed, he asserted, with legal and constitutional sanctity that places it beyond challenge.

Naidu directed sharp criticism at former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and the YSRCP, 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.

Accusing Jagan of "chameleon politics," Naidu recalled that the then-opposition leader had initially extended unconditional support to the capital project, stating he did not wish to create hurdles for a small state of 13 districts only to reverse course thereafter. Despite recorded statements and public commitments made between 2014 and 2019, Naidu alleged, Jagan resorted to political manoeuvres to undermine the project at a time when farmers had voluntarily pooled over 33,000 acres of land for the capital, sowing uncertainty and distrust.

Naidu articulated a broader vision for Amaravati not a modest administrative hub, but a world-class capital in the mould of Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Chennai, cities that serve as engines of economic growth and employment. He alleged that efforts were made to sabotage the project by writing to international institutions such as the World Bank to halt funding and by encouraging protests. He also recalled the symbolic gestures that marked Amaravati's foundation phase, including the collection of sacred soil and water from temples, mosques, and churches across the country.

Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan delivered an emotional address highlighting the hardships endured by farmers who had surrendered their lands for the project. Pointing to images of affected families, he alleged that many were mistreated and attacked during the YSRCP government's tenure. He noted that women and farmers who had rarely stepped outside their homes took to the streets to protest for their children's future, only to allegedly face police action when they questioned the halt of construction works and demanded compensation.

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.