YSRCP backed rally in Vizag in support of port city as executive capital

A ruling YSRCP backed rally named "Visakha Garjana" was held on Saturday in Visakhapatnam, supporting the establishment of the port city as the executive capital of Andhra Pradesh as planned by party supremo and Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy.

The public meeting addressed by several YSRCP ministers, top leaders was organised at a time when the Amaravati action committee is on its second phase of padayatra in the state opposing the three capital plan and the shifting of the executive seat from Amaravati to Visakhapatnam.

The Amaravati Parirakshana Samithi's maha-padayatra 2.0, supported by the TDP and other Opposition parties, began on September 11 from Amaravati and would culminate at Arasavalli in AP's northern most Srikakulam on November 11.

While the first phase yatra went southwards ending in Tirupati, the present yatra will pass through Visakhapatnam in a few days.

Though on Saturday Visakha Garjana was officially conducted by “a non-political Joint Action Committee formed with the aim of achieving executive capital status for Vizag”, the rally – carried out from the LIC building to Beach Road in rain – had the YSRCP imprint.

About half a dozen ministers in the Jagan Cabinet, few former ministers, AP legislative Assembly speaker Tammineni Sitaram and TTD chairman Y V Subba Reddy were among the YSRCP leaders present, primarily criticising TDP chief and former CM Chandrababu Naidu's stand, accusing him of obstructing Jagan's decentralisation of governance plan.

“Chandrababu wants the development of 29 Amaravati villages whereas we want the development of all 26 districts. The TDP chief is supporting the Amaravati agitation for his vested interest, has no concern for the Uttarandhra region,” the ministers charged, while also targeting Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan.

The Visakha-Garjana was held on the day Kalyan arrived in Vizag for a three-day party programme in Uttarandhra.

CM Reddy's plan is to shift the executive to Visakhapatnam, and judiciary to Kurnool, while demoting the “mega, world class capital” Amaravati envisioned by Naidu, to just legislative capital.

In November 2021, Reddy withdrew the two contentious capital decentralisation legislations (passed in 2020 and later went under judicial scrutiny). However, the CM said the withdrawal was only to bring in more effective, inclusive laws.

Reddy's capital shift is on hold since August 2020 following directions of the Andhra Pradesh High Court which is reviewing the farmers' petitions. Though the court had in March ordered the continuation of construction, the YSRCP government has reportedly made no perceivable progress in the development works in Amaravati capital city area.