Former Union Minister Chinta Mohan on Saturday said that the Congress party was prepared for a people’s ballot to make Tirupati as State Capital.
Addressing a press conference at Gudur, Mr. Mohan said that the YSR Congress Party and the Telugu Desam Party had failed to realise the dream of having a State capital for the people of Andhra Pradesh.
The Congress leader said that seven decades ago, N.G. Ranga had requested Jawaharlal Nehru to make Tirupati as the capital of Andhra Pradesh, but it was scuttled by Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy, as a result of which the capital went to Kurool and later to Hyderabad. “After bifurcation, the people of Andhra Pradesh are left in the lurch. They were the worst hit,” he said, adding that both the Jagan Mohan Reddy and Chandrababu Naidu governments remained rudderless on the issue of capital for a decade.
Mr. Mohan said that Tirupati was suitable for the State capital with the availability of over one lakh acres from Yerpedu in Tirupati district to Rapur in Nellore district, with beautiful landscapes and hilly terrain on the lines of Jubilee and Banjara Hills of Hyderabad.
He said that if Tirupati was made the capital, all the regions of Andhra Pradesh — North Andhra, Konaseema, Palnadu and Rayalaseema — would readily accept the move and support it. “With an international airport, seven universities, and seven national highways, Tirupati would present the best ambience for a capital city,” Mr. Mohan said.
