Former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Chandrababu Naidu took to Twitter on Tuesday to share a video of angry farmers who gave away their lands to develop Amaravati as a the state capital.
The video shows kids chanting anti-government slogans in the regional language Telugu ‘State chief Down Down’ as protesting farmers burn tyres. Sporadic protests have been carried out by farmers since December.
Unspeakable suffering & misery have come upon the farmers who have parted their lands for Amaravati. A child shouting “Down Down CM” against @ysjagan depicts the mood of the people. 3 Capitals is a disastrous idea which will fail AP with tremendous consequences #APWithAmaravati pic.twitter.com/0KvlML6jIc
— N Chandrababu Naidu (@ncbn) January 21, 2020
The agitating farmers want Amaravati to be the only capital of the state. They have appealed to the Andhra Pradesh High Court to direct the state administration to resume construction work in the capital city stalled since June 2019 – a period when the new State government came to power in Andhra Pradesh.
The new government revoked the Chandrababu Naidu-led government’s initiative which had envisioned Amravati as the state capital.
Media reports say that farmers have given up nearly 33,000 acres of land for the capital project.
State chief Jagan Mohan Reddy has justified having three state capitals, claiming that it would prevent a concentration of power and resolve regional disparities.
This is not the first time that the Naidu has come out in support of the farmers’ movement. The former chief minister, along with his wife, took part in a similar farmers’ protest in Amaravati on January 1.
Andhra Pradesh: TDP Chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu with wife Bhuvaneswari & other leaders sits in support of Amaravati region farmers who are protesting against the three capital proposal by state government pic.twitter.com/rVu22hM5Rq
— ANI (@ANI) January 1, 2020
While the nation is ushering in the New Year with cheer, the farmers & agri workers of Amaravati are living in fear for their future. Thousands of them are lining up the streets; pitting themselves against the tyrannical @ysjagan govt.(1/3)
— N Chandrababu Naidu (@ncbn) January 1, 2020
The row began in 2014, when the Telangana (29th state) was carved out of Andhra Pradesh. It was collectively decided that Hyderabad would be a capital for both the states until such time as Andhra decides on a new capital.
