It looks like the BJP leaders do not have a consistent policy towards the capital city of Andhra Pradesh, as was evident from the way different leaders are making different statements.
While former state BJP president Kanna Lakshminarayana and Rajya Sabha member Sujana Chowdary have been demanding that the capital city of Andhra Pradesh be retained at Amaravati itself, there is a strange statement from newly-appointed state BJP president Somu Veerraju.
Veerraju, who took charge as the state BJP chief on Tuesday, said the BJP had been advocating decentralisation of governance, whether it was in the state or in the centre. But that does not mean he has supported the three capitals formula of YSR Congress party president and chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy.
He said Andhra Pradesh did not require just three or four capitals but requires 13 capitals.
“According to our party policy, there should be a capital for every district. So, we need 13 capitals for Andhra Pradesh. This will prevent recurring of the agitations witnessed during the combined AP, when Hyderabad was the only capital city,” Veerraju said.
In the same breath, the BJP president said the present capital city of Amaravati should be continued.
“The administrative system should be there in Amaravati and that will do justice to the farmers. We stand by this policy,” he said.
Surprisingly, Veerraju advocated that the high court should be shifted to Rayalaseema.
“We have told the same to the Centre and we are committed to establishment of high court in Rayalaseema,” he said.
With so many contradictory statements, one wonders how Somu Veerraju would run the BJP show in Andhra.