12 years after the split of Andhra Pradesh, Parliament clears Bill to make Amaravati its capital

With the Rajya Sabha passing the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill on Thursday, the decks are cleared for incorporating Amaravati as the capital of Andhra Pradesh in the original Act, with effect from June 2, 2024.

Almost all political parties supported the Bill in the Upper House, except for YSRCP MPs, who maintained that the Bill cannot be accepted in its present form as it ignores the demands of farmers in the area.

Initiating a debate on the Bill, senior Congress MP Renuka Chowdhury said this move to recognise Amaravati as the capital of Andhra Pradesh was long delayed. “It is a shame we are discussing the A.P. Reorganisation Bill, which should have been discussed 12 years ago. It is actually a statement of national shame for the so-called collective wisdom and intelligence of this House. It took 12 years to fulfill a commitment made on the floor of this House,” she said.

Long injustice’

Priyanka Chaturvedi of the Shiv Sena (UBT) noted that Parliament had carved out a new State 12 years ago, but left it without a capital, without a secretariat, and without an administrative ecosystem. “So while Telangana was given Hyderabad, a ready, globally recognised city, Andhra Pradesh was given a promise. Today we are here to put a name to that promise and while we welcome that, this House must not allow itself to celebrate without also accounting for the long injustice,” she said.

In his reply, Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said that the Andhra Pradesh Assembly had passed a proposal on March 28, 2026 requesting the Union government to grant statutory status to Amaravati as the capital of the State by amending the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014. “The resolution passed by the Assembly requested for amendment in the Act, incorporating Amaravati as the capital of Andhra Pradesh with effect from June 2, 2024,” he said.

Emotional moment

In his intervention, Civil Aviation Minister and TDP leader K. Rammohan Naidu said the Bill’s passage marked an emotional moment for him. “This redefines the pride, the faith, this redefines the consciousness of the country it has on its democracy, on the leadership and the whole political system also… And this is something which has much stronger repercussions than looking at it as simply or merely regarding a subject of a State and its capital (sic),” the Minister said, adding that it was a historic day for the “entire Telugu community”.

YSRCP MP Yerram Venkata Subba Reddy, who opposed the Bill, said it failed to address the problems of 29,000 farmers, who have given 34,000 acres of farmland for Amaravati under land pooling, without receiving any payment.

Masthan Rao Yadav Beedha of the Telugu Desam Party said the legislation was a moral promise that the sacrifices of farmers would not be forgotten. “The Bill restores the dignity, aspiration and pride of the people of Andhra Pradesh,” he added.

Though he supported the Bill, the Trinamool Congress’s Md Nadimul Haque warned the TDP to learn lessons from the recent developments in Bihar and Maharashtra, where the BJP had grabbed powers from its allies. “I will advise them to beware of the ‘use-and-throw’ policy,” Mr. Haque said, inviting the TDP to their side.