amaravati

Amaravati farmers protest gets louder, bigger and draws opposition support

The YSR in the YSR Congress party expands to Yuvajana Sramika Rythu (Youth, Labour and Farmers). Which is why the sight of farmers in 29 villages in the Amaravati capital region protesting against the YS Jagan government’s three capitals decision, is an embarrassment. They have also attempted to make their woes national by writing to President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime minister Narendra Modi. The foundation stone for Amaravati incidentally was laid by the PM in October 2015. Today a minister in the Jagan cabinet compares Amaravati to a burial ground while the Assembly speaker likens it to a desert. 

Also read : Why the farmers in Amaravati are upset?

The argument of the farmers is that they had pledged their 33000 acres to the government and the decision now to move the administrative capital to Visakhapatnam and High court to Kurnool would force huge losses on them. They point to an old video clipping where Jagan is seen supporting the capital idea when he was in the opposition and ask why he has taken a U-turn now.

While the YSRCP with its brute majority of 151 MLAs is well within its rights to take a decision, the fact that all the opposition parties – Telugu Desam, Jana Sena, BJP – are against the plan to practically dump Amaravati – would not amuse it. The farmers have been, with active support from the TDP, been taking recourse to innovative ways of protest – a flame rally to filing complaints about their missing YSRCP MLA – to draw attention to their problem. 

But at the same time, those in north coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions have been happy with the YSRCP government’s proposed decision. So while the manner in which the Jagan regime has been reversing just about every decision taken by the previous TDP government, refusing to honour sovereign financial contracts, is absolutely unethical and unprofessional, the question in the Amaravati issue is whether 29 villages will be allowed to dictate terms to the rest of Andhra Pradesh. 

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