VISAKHAPATNAM: The State government has approached the Supreme Court to fight for its constitutional rights, Minister for Industries and IT Gudivada Amarnath said, on the Special Leave Petition (SLP) filed in the apex court, challenging the High Court verdict on the issue of three capitals.
Speaking to mediapersons here on Saturday, he said the government filed the SLP as the High Court ruled that the State Assembly has no right to take a decision on the capital. “There should be a nationwide debate on the High Court’s ruling that legislatures have no right in formation of State capitals,” he stressed.
Reiterating that decentralisation is the policy of the YSRC government, he said it is committed to it. It filed the SLP in the Supreme Court to give more teeth to its decentralisation policy. In the petition, the benefits of decentralisation have been explained to the court. The State Assembly had discussed the High Court verdict at length and felt that it was against the federal spirit of the country, he said.
Owing to decisions taken by the previous government injustice was done to the State. It is Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s idea to ensure justice to people of the State, he asserted.After bifurcation, a committee was constituted to decide the State capital and the Centre suggested the State to take a decision based on the committee report, Amarnath recalled.
However, the then Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu chose to form a committee headed by his then Cabinet colleague P Narayana, the minister said and termed it a ‘Nara-Narayana committee’ and not an expert committee. It was purely an investment company, he ridiculed. He said a bill on three capitals was introduced in the last Assembly session. They withdrew the bill so as to introduce a much more comprehensive one. If the judgements question the existence of Assembly, there will be threat to the State development, he observed.
Amarnath said the Sri Krishna Committee in its report said in the erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh only Hyderabad witnessed development whereas North Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema suffered a great loss. The committee said equitable development should be ensured in all regions. Otherwise, same mistake would happen again. Even Boston Consulting group also mentioned the same thing in its report, he pointed out.
Amarnath alleged that TDP chief Naidu and his followers purchased lands on a large scale in Amaravati region even before the announcement on capital was made. In the name of Maha Padayatra for the capital Amaravati cause, the TDP was trying to create a rift among people of the State, he charged.
AMARAVATI FARMERS WILL GET JUSTICE: TDP
Opposition TDP leaders said Amaravati farmers, who sacrificed their lands for the capital city, would certainly get justice in the Supreme Court. Taking to Twitter, TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh said even if injustice knocks on the doors of the International Court of Justice, the final victory stands with justice. Extending support to Maha Padayatra undertaken by Amaravati farmers on Saturday, TDP Rajya Sabha MP Kanakamedala Ravindra Kumar said the AP High Court division bench categorically stated that the State Assembly has no right to propose amendments to the Act enacted by the Centre as per the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014