Amaravati will be the only capital of AP, reiterates Pawan

Vijayawada: Deputy chief minister Pawan Kalyan on Saturday alleged that farmers who donated land for Amaravati were harassed and attacked during the YSRCP regime. Participating in the assembly debate on Amaravati resolution, he said land donors — including women and Dalit farmers — were subjected to police action after questioning the halt of Amaravati's development. "Farmers who voluntarily gave up their lands for the future of their children were forced to protest when capital works were stalled. These incidents led Jana Sena to take up the issue with the BJP national leadership. The alliance took a clear decision that Amaravati will be the only capital of Andhra Pradesh," he said.IT and education minister Nara Lokesh demanded former chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy to clarify whether he is in support of Amaravati or not. Questioning the YSRCP chief's absence during the debate, he noted that neither he nor any of YSRCP's 11 MLAs attended the session. "Why was Jagan in Bengaluru when a crucial issue concerning five crore people was being discussed? He should apologise to Amaravati farmers. This resolution will prevent any future change in the capital," he said.Health minister Satya Kumar Yadav said it was unfortunate that the state had to again debate the legal status of Amaravati as capital after 12 years. Agriculture minister K Atchennaidu said had people voted differently in 2019, the state would not have suffered. Calculated political drama, alleges YSRCP Meanwhile, slamming the assembly resolution on Amaravati, former minister and senior YSRCP leader Perni Venkatramaiah (Nani) said it was designed to mislead the public while deliberately ignoring pressing issues concerning farmers, finances, and governance. Questioning the credibility of the process, he asked why the legislative council was not convened if the intention was to grant legal sanctity to Amaravati. "Any law requires approval from both Houses of the legislature," he said, calling the move "incomplete and misleading". Nani further claimed that YSRCP never opposed Amaravati as capital. "We only opposed corruption, financial mismanagement, and injustice to farmers carried out in its name," he claimed.