Amaravati farmers protest against AP govt's plan for three state capitals

Farmers from Amaravati organised a protest against the state's plan for bringing a law to develop three capitals instead of one, with MPs from various parties joining them to extend their support

A large number of farmers from Amaravati in Andhra Pradesh organised a protest here against the state government's plan for bringing a law to develop three capitals instead of one, with MPs from various parties joining them to extend their support.

TDP members, including Jayadev Galla and K Rammohan Naidu, BSP's Danish Ali and YRS Congress' K Raghu Rama Krishna Raju, a dissident leader in the state's ruling party, were among the MPs besides several other leaders, including from the Congress and the Left, who expressed their support to the farmers protesting under the banner of the 'Amaravati Parirakshana Samithi', according to a statement.

Farmers have demanded that the state government should stick to the earlier plan of having one capital city in Amaravati as envisaged by former chief minister Chandrababu Naidu.

"Farmers want the government to honour its earlier commitment. Their land has been taken in lieu of developing the capital in Amaravati but now the government is backtracking," Raju said.

Amaravati Parirakshana Samithi president Shiva Reddy said the YSR Congress after coming to power in 2019 reversed the decision of the previous government to develop Amaravati as the only state capital and decided to build two more capitals in Visakhapatnam and Kurnool.

Farmers in Amaravati had given 33,000 acres of land for the capital and they feel betrayed now, he added.