Strange are the ways of Bharatiya Janata Party with regard to the demand for retaining Amaravati as the capital city of Andhra Pradesh.
While the party’s Andhra Pradesh unit has sought to given the impression that it is supporting the demand of the farmers of Amaravati, its central leadership has been taking a completely different stand, stating that the choice of location of capital is the prerogative of the state government.
On Monday, too, BJP general secretary in-charge of Andhra Pradesh affairs Sunil Deodhar said there was no change in the stand of the party that Amaravati should be continued as the capital of the state.
The BJP and Jana Sena would continue demand that het capital be located at Amaravati itself, he said.
“We shall stand by the farmers of the capital city and support their fight against shifting of the capital to Visakhapatnam. And we shall continue to take part in the protests and agitations on behalf of farmers,” Deodhar said.
In the same breath, Deodhar said the Centre would not interfere in the location of the state capital.
“It is the state government’s decision as to where the capital has to be located. There is no question of the Centre involving in this decision making,” he said.
He demanded that the YSR Congress government should do justice to the families of Amaravati farmers.
“The BJP, along with Jana Sena, would launch a joint agitation at the state level, against injustice meted out to Amaravati farmers,” he said.