Choosing capital for residuary State should be done soon

It is regrettable that there has been political and public unrest in the State of Andhra Pradesh due to two potential reasons which include failure of the State to receive Special Category Status from the Centre and secondly the uncertainty looming large over the issue of figuring out a capital for the State. It is all the more unfortunate that the State is burdened with an estimated debt trap of Rs seven lakh crore ever since its formation in 2014.

Although, the State has received special economic packages from the Centre during the FYs 2015-16 to 2019-20, still the State is struck with economic set-back due to the Centre not yielding to the demand for providing special category status raised during the TDP rule as well as during YSRCP rule. The State has been deprived of the most advantageous special category status following the inaction of the Centre on the contention that yielding to such a demand would result in prompting few other Sates also to follow suit. Also there have been political dissensions and qualms surfaced between the former Chief Minister, Chandrababu Naidu and the PM, Narendra Modi over the Centre's denial to grant special category status for the State.

Despite a staunch pursuance made by Naidu during his reign to secure/achieve the goal to get special status for the State, his efforts remained a damp squib and his failure on such a count has reflected negatively in 2019 general elections wherein he had to swallow a bitter pill and face a worse defeat in the hands of YSRCP leader, Jaganmohan Reddy who till today is his political bête-noire and is largely responsible for opposing Naidu on various policies including the choice of opting a place to set up State capital that has more or less culminated in an unending political and mass unrest.

While failure on account of conceding Special Category Status was an uneven predicament during the TDP rule under Naidu, a politically embroiled situation created during Jagan's rule was equally unfortunate as there have been mass protests and public antipathy generated over the latter's unilateral stand to split administration virtually into three parts by separating legislature, executive and judiciary and proposing to set up three capitals at Amaravati, Visakhapatnam and Kurnool respectively. This move proposed by Jagan in making two laws enacted in 2020 was inequitable as it goes against the whims of the former CM and his arch rival, Chandrababu whose dreams to shape / convert Amaravati into a capital of world's high class model are set to have been shattered.

There has been fierce opposition to the decision taken by Jagan for setting up of three capitals in the State from all quarters including the opposition parties and the farmers community who gave away their lands for development of a capital at Amaravati. Even as the pressure from all sections has mounted and blown out of proportion in favour of a single capital at Amaravati, the CM has been left with no other option than succumbing to pressure and take a detour to his earlier decision by resolving to repeal the law on three capitals he passed in the year 2020. Although, there has been a whiff of fresh air provided to the public over repeal of enactments, yet the public resentment still looms large due to lack of clarity expressed by Jagan in his announcement on the choice of capital by tentatively deferring his decision for an alternative choice / solution to his previous stand on creating three capitals without making a solid affirmation on Amaravati which is crux of the issue on capital formation. Hence a concrete decision has not yet been taken by the government in choosing a place to set up the capital which amounts to non-clarity on the issue. However, a clarity is urgently needed before 2024 when the 10 year deadline set for Hyderabad as the joint capital comes to an end.

— Bh Indu Sekhar, Hyderabad