The Amaravati Farmers protest movement against the government of Andhra Pradesh’s decision of 3 Capitals recently completed 200 days, with people all over the world siding with the farmers. Even the opposition leader, Nara Chandrababu Naidu supported the movement and pledged to join the farmers in all of their protests.
Despite the continuous protests of the farmers, neither the government of Andhra Pradesh, nor the Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy, have cared to respond. Now, reports are floating around, which suggest that the Chief Minister is secretly shifting the Capital to Visakhapatnam.
The bill regarding the shifting of capital is yet to be passed in the Legislative Council, and once that is done, the Chief Minister is expected to go public about the shifting of the capital. Sources are saying that the Chief Minister’s camp office would be situated in the Grey Hounds building at Kapuluppada. A number of works related to the shifting of capital have been going on in the building for the last few months.
On the other hand, a few others are arguing that the CM’s Camp office would be situated in the Startup Village in the Millennium Towers in Visakhapatnam. Searches for suitable buildings for the establishment of offices for various department heads have also reportedly begun. The State police office is expected to be set up at the ‘New Net’ office in Rishikonda.
The shifting of the capital to Visakhapatnam is being done in a very discreet and strategic manner. The Chief Minister is also expected to work from Visakhapatnam, which would mean that the heads of various departments would be stationed in the city itself. This gives rise to a lot of questions about the stance of Amaravati.
The YSRCP government seems to be hell bent on making sure that there are three capitals at any cost, despite what the public think, and irrespective of the continued protests of the farmers of Amaravati. The government also looks like it’s slowly transitioning into a totalitarian one, from a democratic one, which is more interested in what it wants, than the requisites of the people of the state.
It is high time that the YSRCP government evaluates everything it has been doing ever since it assumed power, and how far it is helping the people of the state. If the government continues to go on this path, they are sure to destroy the state, and themselves as well.