Even as the TDP is trying to move earth and heaven over Amaravati issue, projecting it as global issue, the Central government gave a slap on its face on Tuesday.
The Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai, had said in the Parliament that the decision to have capital is completely vested with the States. He said that the States can decide on the capital anywhere within its territory.
The Union Minister’s statement was part of a written reply to a question by the TDP MP Galla Jayadev in Lok Sabha.
The MP, whose party is leading agitation in AP, against decentralization of the capital, tried to draw the attention of the Parliament on the day by raising a question on the capital issue.
The Union Minister of State for Home, in his reply said that, “recently media reports have appeared indicating the State Government’s decision to create three capitals for the State of Andhra Pradesh. It is for each State to decide its capital within its territory.”
The Minister also indicated that the States have freedom to decide on the capitals and the Central government has very little role to involve.
The TDP, which claims of stopping the decentralization proposal of the State government and wants Amaravati as the only capital, received a major setback with the Union Minister’s reply.
Interestingly, on several occasions, another Minister of State for Home, G Kishan Reddy, had also said similar answer in the past outside the Parliament.
However, the TDP had been misleading the people claiming that the Centre would not allow the State to shift the capital and thus was leading the farmers and their agitation in Amaravati.
It is now to be seen what the TDP would do with the Central government giving clarity on its role and that of the State government’s role in deciding the capital.
