Centre Won’t Intervene in AP Govt’s Decision to Shift Capital: BJP

GVL Narasimha Rao said that the subject of capital came under the state’s purview and Centre had no role in it.

Chief Minister Jagan Reddy. Image used for representational purpose.

(Photo: Aroop Mishra/The Quint)

Even as their ally Pawan Kalyan sought the intervention of the Centre in the Andhra capital controversy, the BJP on Tuesday, 21 January, clarified that the Centre will not intervene in the decision of the Andhra Pradesh government to shift the capital from Amaravati to Visakhapatnam.

BJP leader GVL Narasimha Rao said that the subject of capital came under the state’s purview and that they had no role in it.

However, the BJP claimed that there was no merit to the arguments made by Jagan to shift the capital from Amaravati and said that they along with their ally Jana Sena Party would soon chalk out a joint action plan for a sustained protest programme in the state against the decision.

‘The Subject of Capital Falls Under State’

Addressing the media in New Delhi, at a joint press meet, Kanna Lakshminarayana and GVL Narasimha Rao said that the BJP supported decentralisation and that it was their party which was in favour of the High Court’s location in Kurnool.

They said that the BJP always prioritised the development of north Andhra and Rayalaseema.

The BJP claimed that either the TDP or the ruling YSRCP were spreading misinformation about Jagan seeking the approval of Centre before shifting the capital.

“For the past couple of days, misinformation is being spread that after discussing with the Centre, the state government is making all these decisions. We don’t know if it is the handiwork of YSRCP or TDP. But definitely it is all propaganda. The subject of capital falls under state, so we would protest in the capacity as a political party in the state. But that is being maligned by both parties.”

GVL Narasimha Rao

Parties Snubbing Each Other Over the Issue

Stressing that it was a federal system, Rao said, "The TDP is asking that the Centre should play the role of the elder brother in the issue, but this is not a family issue. It is a federal system. In this system, the Centre could make some decisions and the state some."

Rao slammed both the TDP and the YSRCP for their unilateral approach when it came to the decision of choosing capitals. Rao said that the TDP in its tenure didn't pay heed to their recommendations, similarly now YSRCP is snubbing the Opposition parties.

(Published in arrangement with The News Minute)