The issue that is dominating the political arena and also the media space is the question on Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy’s proposed decentralisation in the form of having three capitals, spread over Visakhapatnam, Kurnool and Amaravati.
While Visakhapatnam is proposed to be the Executive capital, Kurnool is the Judicial capital and Amaravati the Legislative capital.
To counter Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s move, the farmers of Amaravati have launched a non-political JAC under the title Amaravati Parirakshana Samithi and have launched a Maha Padayatra from Amaravati to Arasavalli in Srikakulam district. The YSR Congress Party termed the JAC as TDP-sponsored and a brainchild of the opposition party chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu.
And to put the brakes on the farmers’ padayatra, the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) has launched a non-political JAC in Visakhapatnam that vouches for decentralisation and the idea of three capitals.
With threats and counter-threats flying from both sides, the Uttarandhra JAC has announced a mega rally ‘Vizag Garjana’, which is scheduled to be held on October 15. Efforts are on to make the rally a success and the members of the JAC are trying to contact various associations and colleges to confirm their participation.
This raises the question, is Uttarandhra (north Andhra) on the boil?
This is debatable, as the movement appears to lack spontaneity and voluntary participation, despite the leaders from all political parties trying their best to stoke the regional passion.
At a recent meeting held by the JAC, one professor from Andhra University was seen suggesting that NSS volunteers should be called in. It appears that for a brief period, the teacher had forgotten that NSS and NCC are national volunteer service bodies, and they cannot be dragged into the political battleground.
Another former YSRCP Minister was seen trying to equate the action plan of the JAC to that of Srikakulam Peasant Uprising of the 1970s. It was a Left-based and armed Naxalite movement, which catered to a different era and for a different cause. Rekindling the passion of that era means turning the clock back by five decades and it may not now hold water in a cosmopolitan fabric.
People not connected
Whether it was Mr. Naidu who set his eyes on Amaravati as capital or Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy who spoke of three capitals, the people of the State were not consulted, in both cases.
But the ‘aspirations’ of the people of the region are placed at the centrestage and put as a shield when the issue boils up and becomes difficult to handle.
Mr. Chandrababu Naidu had his own vision and he placed Hyderabad above all during his earlier tenure and Amaravati later in the divided A.P.
And Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s logic of linking decentralised economy and development to three capitals leaves wide scope for debate.
For the other political parties, it is time to score brownie points, accusing the ruling party of diversionary techniques.
Finally, what do the people of A.P. have post bifurcation in 2014 – a half-baked capital city at Amaravati, which cannot be called a capital city now with the debate raging on three capitals, and uncertainty on which is the capital city.
