Hyderabad: Y.V. Subba Reddy, a pacesetter of the ruling YSRCP in Andhra Pradesh, prompted a stir Tuesday by in search of an extension of Hyderabad’s standing because the shared capital of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana until the previous’s govt capital shifts to Visakhapatnam from Amaravati.
The assertion comes forward of the overall elections, in addition to the April meeting elections within the state the place the YSRCP will battle to retain energy. The celebration has set a goal of successful all 175 meeting seats this time. It had received 151 final time and 22 out of 25 Lok Sabha seats.
Nonetheless, the Opposition in each states — Telugu Desam Get together (TDP) and the Bharatiya Janata Get together (BJP) in Andhra, and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and BJP in Telangana — dismissed the assertion as “ridiculous” or a tactic to “manipulate public sentiments” previous to the elections.
In the course of the bifurcation in 2014, given the robust claims over Hyderabad from each Seema-Andhra and Telangana leaders, the then Congress-led UPA-II authorities had designated the town as a typical capital for 10 years beneath the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014. Based on this, as of two June, 2024, Andhra would not have any declare over Hyderabad.
The widespread capital association was additionally supposed to offer Andhra management time to plan its capital set-up. “However, in these 10 years, the previous TDP government could only set up a temporary capital (at Amaravati). We (after coming to power in 2019) decided in favour of the already-developed Vizag as the executive capital instead of the unrealistic (greenfield, mega capital) Amaravati. But, we have been facing court cases opposing the move,” mentioned Subba Reddy.
Subba Reddy, YSRCP’s regional coordinator of north Andhra Pradesh districts together with Visakhapatnam, is an uncle of Chief Minister Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy, whose controversial plan to shift the capital to the port metropolis has been pending for the previous 4 years. Jagan has typically spoken of his “administrative relocation to Vizag soon”, the place a sea-facing CM camp workplace is receiving closing touches on the scenic Rushikonda hill. The transfer itself, nevertheless, is pending because the matter is sub-judice.
“As we do not know when we could establish Vizag as the capital, the thought is Hyderabad should continue as the common capital till we cross all hurdles. We will discuss the matter with the CM after the elections,” mentioned Subba Reddy.
The YSRCP would increase the matter in Parliament, added Subba Reddy, additionally a former Lok Sabha member and nominee for the Rajya Sabha election later this month.
YSRCP minister Ambati Rambabu reportedly supported the demand, however the celebration went into defensive mode Wednesday, with senior minister Botcha Satyanarayana saying folks misconstrued Subba Reddy’s assertion.
“Who will talk about matters already settled? The decision was to share Hyderabad for 10 years. If the Centre wants to reconsider, that’s up to it. We will keep pressing for our rightful claims, like special category status,” Botcha instructed reporters in Vizag Wednesday.
Additionally learn: Andhra Pradesh CM Jagan says Visakhapatnam can be state capital ‘in the days to come’
Jagan handed over Hyderabad belongings in 2019
L.V. Subrahmanyam, former chief secretary to CM Jagan, mentioned Subba Reddy’s assertion “lacks sense or seriousness”. “What connection does AP have with Hyderabad now that the Centre should even consider such an extension?” he requested whereas chatting with ThePrint.
Beneath the state reorganisation Act, the Andhra authorities might have functioned from Hyderabad until 2024, however in mid-2016, then CM N. Chandrababu Naidu started the relocation to Amaravati, over 300 km away. As an alternative of sharing the secretariat, meeting and different authorities buildings with Telangana, his administration pooled practically 33,000 acres of fertile farmland in Amaravati for constructing a “world-class mega capital”. PM Narendra Modi after which Telangana CM Okay. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) attended the Amaravati basis stone laying ceremony in October 2015.
The state-level staff anticipated to remain put in Hyderabad for a number of extra years. However quickly Naidu ordered the abrupt relocation of over 20,000 staff of the Andhra secretariat and 89 departments into an under-construction constructing at Velagapudi and rented workplaces in and round Vijayawada.
Political specialists broadly attributed the transfer to the KCR institution hounding Naidu within the 2015 cash-for-vote scandal through the legislative council ballot. The Telangana authorities then absolutely occupied the widespread workplaces, and AP’s share of 4 blocks within the outdated secretariat advanced in Hyderabad remained abandoned. After Jagan took over from Naidu in mid-2019, the Telangana authorities obtained these blocks, too, on his orders.
KCR, the then Telangana CM, razed all eight blocks to the bottom within the mid-2020s, and a newly inaugurated Telangana secretariat, constructed at a reported price of over Rs 1,200 crore, now stands on the identical spot.
“The AP Raj Bhavan, high court, and all the offices have shifted. Except for some premises like the landmark Lake View guest house and a few senior IAS officer quarters, there is nothing linked to the AP government here now,” Subrahmanyam instructed ThePrint.
“In such a setting, the YSRCP leader’s comments can be construed either as wild, erratic statements or a well-thought-out strategy to pinch the Congress government in Telangana to make them react or reject the claims,” the retired official mentioned.
Leaders of different events odor ‘conspiracy’
Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, not identified to be on pleasant phrases with Jagan, and his cupboard colleagues are but to remark.
“The reports do not qualify for a reaction from our side, especially when the intentions are clear,” a CM’s aide in his workplace instructed ThePrint.
Different celebration leaders from each states spoke out, some saying Subba’s assertion is motivated and a few ridiculing it for missing rationale.
“After three capitals within, does Jagan now want a fourth capital for Andhra outside it?” requested former BRS MP and Telangana planning board former vice-chairman Vinod Kumar.
Former minister Vemula Prashanth Reddy from BRS mentioned the demand was “ridiculous and against the state reorganisation Act.”
Telangana BJP leaders suspected a conspiracy “combinedly hatched by the BRS and YSRCP chiefs to stoke regional sentiments before the polls for electoral gain”.
“Hyderabad has not been utilised as the common capital for the past several years. Demanding the status extension now appears to be for triggering public sentiments,” mentioned BJP chief Eatala Rajender.
In Andhra Pradesh, the TDP accused Jagan and Subba Reddy of now developing with the declare “to safeguard their benami assets in Hyderabad”.
“After amassing thousands of crores worth of ‘benami’ assets in the three AP regions in the name of decentralised development, three capitals, Jagan, Subba Reddy are now doing a new drama,” TDP state chief Atchannaidu Kinjarapu mentioned in a press assertion.
“Didn’t you realise Hyderabad was the common capital when you handed over the AP share of secretariat buildings, etc., to KCR in 2019?” requested Kinjarapu.
AP BJP spokesperson Lanka Dinakar accused Jagan of destroying Amaravati “while cheating people with announcements of executive and judiciary capitals at Vizag and Kurnool”.
“Those who advocated three capitals are now wanting to reclaim Hyderabad. This is nothing but fear of defeat in elections,” mentioned Dinakar.
Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee chief and Jagan’s sister Y.S. Sharmila in a submit on X Thursday mentioned the state lacks a correct capital even after 10 years as a result of YSRCP’s incompetence. “Hyderabad as a common capital issue is the YSRCP’s trick to hide its failures and confuse the public as elections near,” she wrote.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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