YSRCP sets to counter padayatra

Visakhapatnam: The activists of YSR Congress Party have decided to intensify campaign in support of trifurcation of the capital even as the Joint Action Committee formed by the farmers of 29 villages, whose lands were acquired for development of a greenfield capital at Amaravati, are continuing 60-day maha padayatra to Arasavilli, the famous sun temple in Srikakulam district of North Andhra.

The padayatra has already triggered a tense atmosphere in various parts of North Andhra following the statement by C M Ramesh, BJP MP, said that they will shield the farmers while stepping into the region. The YSRCP leaders alleged that the TDP and its supporters will be held responsible for protests over attempts to oppose development of Visakhapatnam as the executive capital.

To counter propaganda by all the Opposition parties including TDP and BJP and the farmers of Amaravati who were promised 1,000 square yards of developed plot of their choice for every acre given by them for the capital during the Chief Ministership of N Chandrababu Naidu post-bifurcation, the YSR leaders led by Education minister Botcha Satyanarayana, IT and Industries minister Gudivada Amarnath and Bheemili MLA and party city president Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao at a roundtable meeting here on Sunday said trifurcation will ensure decentralised development.

The YSRCP government has already filed a Special Leave petition in the Supreme Court challenging an order passed by the AP High Court in March to develop Amaravati as per the Master Plan as it is the only capital of the State. It also directed the State government to complete the capital construction works on a top priority. While stating that a single capital at Amaravati will entail a huge burden on creation of infrastructure, the YSRCP leaders contended that Visakhapatnam has the ready-made infrastructure to become the executive capital.

Lauding the decision of Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy for forming legislative capital at Amaravati, executive capital at Visakhapatnam and judicial capital at Kurnool, the ruling party leaders say that three capitals will accelerate development in all the regions. During the TDP government, 35,000 acres of highly fertile land was acquired under Land Pooling scheme for development of the capital city at Amaravati.