Reacting sharply to the State government filing a Special Leave Petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court seeking a stay on the A.P. High Court verdict on the three-capital issue, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) on Saturday asserted that the case would not stand up in the apex court as the government stand was legally untenable.
Speaking to reporters while participating in the Maha Padayatra of the Amaravati farmers and residents, TDP MP Kanakamedala Ravindra Kumar said the State government was resorting to fraudulent means and trying to mislead the High Court.
He said the farmers of Amaravati had embarked on a padayatra as part of their fight for justice, and they were sure to win in the battle.
Party leader and MLA Payyavula Keshav slammed the YSRCP government questioning its intention behind approaching the apex court after a gap of six months of the High Court verdict.
Amaravati Parirakshana Samithi Joint Action Committee (JAC) leaders said it was a welcome move since the farmers were sure to emerge victorious at the end.
“At least this way the State government will inadvertently help put an end to the issue,” said JAC leader Siva Reddy.
He said the JAC welcomed the government decision because “the government will have to retain Amaravati as the sole capital and develop the region after the apex court’s direction at least.”
The Chief Minister had virtually ruled out development of Amaravati as the only State capital in the Assembly arguing that it would tantamount to chasing a dream, as the Amaravati project would cost ₹30 lakh crore and take at least 100 years.
The YSRCP government’s three-capital formula envisaged development of Visakhapatnam in north coastal Andhra as the administrative capital, Kurnool in Rayalaseema as the judicial capital and Amaravati in south coastal Andhra as the legislative capital.
