Unified voice in Assembly backs Amaravati as permanent capital of A.P.

A broad political consensus was reached during a special session of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly on Saturday as the legislators belonging to NDA parties voiced strong support for granting permanent legal status to Amaravati as the State capital, while recalling the sacrifices of farmers and the region’s historic legacy.

The MLAs have participated in the day-long debate on the resolution moved by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, urging the Central government to amend the Section-5 of the A.P. Reorganisation Act, 2014 to ensure Amaravati would remain the capital of the State forever.

The YSRCP legislators skipped the special session. The resolution was passed only in the Assembly and the Legilsative Council was not convened for this purpose.

“After 13 years, we are again resolving to declare Amaravati as the State capital,” Tadikonda MLA Tenali Sravan Kumar said during the debate, underlining that the region has been flourishing since the Satavahana era and that land pooling, through which ‘34,000 acres were voluntarily given away by the farmers’ became a model for the country.

Rampachodavaram MLA Miriyala Sirisha criticised the decisions taken during the YSRCP’s tenure. “The previous regime (YSRCP) mocked Amaravati as a cremation ground and desert,” he said, while welcoming the resolution.

BJP MLA Sujana Chowdhary termed the Amaravati capital city project as ‘the brainchild of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’, adding that the resolution aims to ‘remove fear among the capital farmers’ and restore confidence.

Anakapalli MLA Konathala Ramakrishna described the special session as historic. “The Amaravati farmers have stood firm for five years for the State,” he said and credited the current leadership for steering rapid development of the capital region.

“Amaravati’s journey resumes as a symbol of self-respect, from darkness to light,” said former Minister Kalva Srinivasulu, emphasising that people’s aspirations shaped the location of the capital city.

Rajahmundry Rural MLA Gorantla Butchaiah Chowdary remarked, “Amaravati’s destruction began with earlier actions, but now the reconstruction has begun with renewed momentum.”

Describing Amaravati as a future global economic hub, BJP Legislature Party leader Vishnu Kumar Raju asserted, “Whenever Amaravati is discussed, we must remember the farmers who have parted with their lands.”

Guntur West MLA Galla Madhavi observed, “A capital to a State is like a brain to the body,” criticising policies of decentralisation of the previous YSRCP government.

Mylavaram MLA Vasantha Krishna Prasad stated, “A capital is not just buildings, it is dignity,” recalling his opposition to the three-capital proposal mooted during the YSRCP’s tenure.

Government Whip Yarlagadda Venkat Rao affirmed full support, saying that Amaravati would emerge as a knowledge economy hub, while Guntur East MLA Naseer Ahmed said that Amaravati must remain the permanent capital and growth engine of the State.