As the monsoon session of the Andhra Pradesh state legislative assembly is all set to commence on Thursday, focus is back on the formation of three capitals for the state.
Though the ministers in the Jagan Mohan Reddy cabinet have been making statements that the state government is firm on bringing in three capitals bill at any time, nobody knows what is there in the mind of the chief minister.
A section of party leaders say the chief minister is going to introduce a fresh legislation on the three capitals this session itself, while others say he might confine to making a statement on the three capitals and the government’s intention to file a review petition challenging the March 3 judgement of the state high court.
The revival of the CID case against former minister P Narayana and his associates on the assigned lands case of Amaravati and the attempt to create a separate municipality for Amaravati are all believed to be part of the chief minister’s strategy to run down the Amaravati demand.
The Jagan government would also bring in a special legislation amending the AP Capital Region Development Authority Act in order to make changes in the master plan to allot lands to the weaker sections in Amaravati is also believed to be a master plan of the chief minister to dilute the capital city case.
Sources said Jagan, however, is apprehensive about the Centre’s objection to the three capitals plan, as the Bharatiya Janata Party has taken a clear stand on retention of Amaravati as the state capital.
On Wednesday, too, BJP MLC P V N Madhav made it clear that the BJP would strongly resist any attempt to create three capitals, ignoring Amaravati.
He said the YSR Congress party government might introduce the new bill on three capitals, but it won’t stand in the court of law.
The next one week is going to witness interesting developments with regard to the fate of Amaravati and the three capitals’ plan of the state government.