It looks like the YSR Congress party led by chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy chalked out a well-planned strategy to make an announcement on decentralisation of capitals for Andhra Pradesh, without giving any scope to the opposition to make it an issue in the assembly.
Jagan came up with the statement on the possibility of forming three capitals – at Visakhapatnam, Amaravati and Kurnool, minutes before the closure of the winter session of the assembly and after ensuring that there is no opposition in the House. The TDP members were suspended and leader of the opposition staged a walkout.
In a strategic way, Jagan ensured that all his party members spoke in favour of decentralised administration and his proposed plan.
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It started with YSRC MLA and former minister Dharmana Prasada Rao who said the need of the hour was decentralised development, which did not concentrate in one area, which is a lesson the government has to learn from the Hyderabad experience.
The other suggestions that have come include multiple capitals in different regions of the state, giving back the assigned lands that were taken away by the government.
The final shot came from finance minister Buggana Rajendranath Reddy who gave a blow by blow account on how the TDP government had converted the capital into a real estate activity to benefit the TDP leaders and their coterie.
He explained in detail how the TDP leaders and their benamis bought land in anticipation of the capital, thereby resorting to insider trading.
He also exposed the irregularities in land acquisition and awarding contracts to Singapore companies with terms loaded heavily in favour of the foreign companies.
As expected, the TDP members raised a hue and cry and tried to stall the proceedings by rushing into the well disrupting the proceedings.
As a result, Speaker Tammineni Sitaram suspended the TDP members on the motion moved by the legislative affairs minister, thereby clearing decks for Jagan’s to make the statement on three capitals!