Amaravati Capital Push "Insane": Jagan Reddy On Chandrababu Naidu-Amit Shah Meet

Amid Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu's efforts to secure statutory status for Amaravati as the capital of Andhra Pradesh, YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president and former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has strongly criticised the move, calling it “insane.”

Reacting sharply to Naidu's capital push following his meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi, Jagan once again questioned the TDP government's decision to project Amaravati as the sole capital. He argued that the Constitution does not define the term “capital” and that any place where constitutional institutions function could effectively serve as the capital.

Jagan alleged that the Amaravati project was financially unviable and driven by vested interests. He said the TDP government had initially proposed acquiring 50,000 acres of land, estimating a development cost of Rs 2 crore per acre for infrastructure such as roads, power supply, water and sewerage. According to the government's own Detailed Project Report (DPR), this amounted to an expenditure of Rs 1 lakh crore.

He further alleged that the land was selected after Naidu and his “benamis” acquired property in the region. Questioning the feasibility of the project, Jagan said the first phase of Amaravati remained undeveloped, with farmers left distressed and no visible progress due to a lack of funds.

Despite this, he said, the TDP government was now proposing to acquire another 50,000 acres, taking the total land requirement to one lakh acres and pushing the estimated cost to Rs 2 lakh crore. Calling the move “insane,” Jagan said farmers were still waiting for development and livelihoods even as plans for further land acquisition were being discussed.

Earlier on Wednesday evening, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi and urged the Centre to grant legal status to Amaravati as Andhra Pradesh's capital by introducing a Bill in Parliament. The Chief Minister argued that officially declaring Amaravati as the capital through legislation would accelerate development in the state and fulfil the long-standing aspirations of the people.

Amid the renewed capital push, TDP sources said a Bill to legally recognise Amaravati as the capital of Andhra Pradesh is likely to be introduced in the next session of Parliament. The key technical issue under examination is whether the legal recognition should apply from 2014 or from the present date, though the Centre has indicated that the legislation will move forward soon.