Jagan Criticizes Amaravati Once Again

Amaravati: YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has once again drawn sharp criticism for continuing his alleged negative campaign against Amaravati, even after completing his five-year term in office. Political opponents have accused him of repeatedly attempting to mislead the people of the state with what they describe as provocative and misleading statements. Speaking to the national media on Thursday, Jagan once again expressed his opposition to Amaravati as the state capital. He reportedly referred to the proposed capital as a “so-called capital” and questioned the plan of former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to build the capital city in a river basin.

However, critics pointed out that many of the world’s greatest cities have historically developed along riverbanks. Global metropolitan cities such as London on the Thames, New York on the Hudson, Cairo on the Nile, Baghdad on the Tigris, Moscow on the Moskva, Berlin on the Spree, Shanghai on the Huangpu, and Rome on the Tiber are all located along major rivers. In India too, the national capital Delhi is situated on the banks of the Yamuna River. Several prominent cities including Kolkata, Lucknow, Varanasi, Kanpur, Patna, Prayagraj, Agra, Mathura, Nashik and Cuttack are also located along riverbanks. Cities have traditionally been developed along rivers for their advantages in drinking water availability, agriculture and transportation. Critics questioned what objection Jagan could have if Amaravati were to be developed on one bank of the Krishna River, while Vijayawada already exists on the other bank. They also noted that the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has granted clearance for the construction of the capital.

Despite the High Court clearly directing that Amaravati be developed as the sole capital of Andhra Pradesh, Jagan’s stance has reportedly remained unchanged. Opposition leaders stated that his recent comments have once again highlighted YSRCP’s true intentions and its attitude towards Amaravati.