Amaravati: With the farmers’ agitation to retain Amaravati as the state’s capital completing 300 days, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) National General Secretary and former Minister Nara Lokesh on Monday visited the protest camps of farmers, laborers and women in the Capital city villages. He asserted the TDP’s solidarity to their justified demand for ‘One State, One Capital’.
More than 24,000 farmers of Amaravati capital region have been on the warpath ever since the YSR Congress Party government in the state, led by YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, announced on December 17 last year about creating three capitals – executive capital at Visakhapatnam, legislative capital at Amaravati and judicial capital at Kurnool.
These farmers belonging to 29 villages – who gave away nearly 34,000 acres of their fertile land to the capital city during the previous Telugu Desam Party regime in 2015 – strongly resisted the move, asserting that they had sacrificed their livelihood in anticipation of the development of a world-class capital city in Amaravati. “Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy is in utter disregard for the rights and sacrifices of farmers who gave away 34,000 acres in response to a call given by the then Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu,” Lokesh accused addressing the protestors at Penumaka.
The former minister also strongly objected to the ruling YCP Ministers and MLAs talking disrespectfully and even insulting the protesting farmers, which he said ‘is in a clear indication of their dangerous adamant attitude.’
“Jagan, who approved Amaravati while in Opposition and even made people believe in that stand, had completely changed his stance and started shifting Capital after coming to power. A ruler would show greater responsibility while in power but here this CM was displaying an erosion of that responsibility,” Lokesh said.
“He is incapable of bringing development,” he added.
Nara Lokesh also visited and addressed protest sites at Yerrabalem, Krishnayapalem and other villages in the Amaravati Capital area. He was accompanied by Guntur MP Galla Jayadev, Tadikonda former MLA T Sravan Kumar and other leaders.