Even as the Jagan Mohan Reddy government is mulling options to steer clear of all obstructions to implement its proposed shifting of the capital from Amaravati to Visakhapatnam, members of the Amaravati Parirakshana Samithi (APS), spearheading a prolonged protest by farmers of the capital region, are gearing up to intensify their agitation.
The farmers’ protest entered the 40th day on Sunday.
On the sidelines of a ‘yagam’ being performed at Uddandarayapalem, samithi convener Sudhakar said that despite protests by people of all sections in the State and many farmers sacrificing their lives for the cause, the government was in a hurry to shift the capital.
“We will not allow this to happen and we are confident that the court will take cognisance of the farmers’ woes,” he said.
The High Court on Thursday ordered the government not to shift any government office out of Amaravati until further orders.
The invocation of Rule 71 in the Legislative Council by Leader of the Opposition Yanamala Ramakrishnudu had given the much-need breather to the Opposition TDP to plan its future course of action.
Divergent views
The development also caused a divide among the samithi members.
A few active members are of the view that the protest should be temporarily stopped in order to save the energy till the movement is taken to its logical conclusion.
“There is no question of any break at this point. We cannot allow this movement to get diluted at any cost. It’s a do-or-die battle for the farmers who are out on the road, seeking a fair deal from the government,” said Karthik Tummala, State coordinator of the samithi.
He said the protesters were not on the road for the last two days because they were denied permission by the authorities on account of the Republic Day celebrations.
The samithi members said they would use this time to fan out across the 13 districts and educate the people on the bane of shifting the capital out of Amaravati.
Dr. Karthik, who is also secretary of the Indian Medical Association, said they would explain the people what kind of development had already happened in the Amaravati region, and what more could be done within the available budget.
‘Constitutional calamity’
Senior advocate Jandhyala Ravishankar said that the government had led the State into a “constitutional calamity.”
Referring to the proposal to scrap the Legislative Council, he reminds of Article 169 of the Constitution that deals with creation and abolition of the Council.
“There’s a detailed process involved in it. One cannot have the Council abolished simply because it has not passed a Bill you want it to,” he said, adding that the government would witness many writs filed against its decision in the days to come.
