Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, the YSRCP chief and former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, has come up with yet another new proposal regarding the state capital. Initially, he agreed to Amaravati as the capital on the floor of the Assembly. However, after coming to power, he shifted to the three-capital concept. At a time when the Andhra Pradesh government is trying to grant legal status to Amaravati through an amendment to the Reorganisation Act in Parliament, Jagan Mohan Reddy addressed a press conference on Wednesday. On the same day, the amendment received approval in the Lok Sabha, and the process is expected to be completed in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.
Despite this, statements from Jagan Mohan Reddy and other YSRCP leaders suggest that they are continuing to create uncertainty among the public regarding Amaravati. Jagan proposed that instead of Amaravati, a “capital corridor” named MAVIGAN should be formed by combining Vijayawada, Guntur, and Machilipatnam. He added that if the name “MAVIGAN” appears too closely associated with him, it could be changed. According to him, this corridor would stretch around 110 kilometers. Naturally, this raises the question: if Jagan truly had such a proposal in mind, why didn’t he implement it while in power instead of pushing the three-capital model?
It appears that Jagan is reluctant to directly accept Amaravati as the capital, which is why he has now introduced this new model. In the Lok Sabha as well, the YSRCP opposed granting legal status to Amaravati in its current form and staged a walkout. Party MP Mithun Reddy demanded that farmers must be protected and clarity should be provided on how funds for the capital will be mobilized. Officials point out that once Amaravati receives legal backing through Parliament, any future change to the capital would require another amendment in Parliament.
Unlike in the past, when Jagan Mohan Reddy suddenly announced the three-capital plan in the Assembly, such abrupt changes would no longer be possible. While the government claims that the law is being framed to ensure that the capital is not altered in the future, Jagan questioned this argument during his press conference. He remarked that if the Assembly could make such decisions now, another Assembly in the future could also change them—clearly indicating his underlying agenda.