Kurnool (The Hawk): In favour of the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government's intention to construct three state capitals, thousands of people took part in the "Seema Garjana" (Roar of Rayalaseema) celebration in the Andhra Pradesh district of Kurnool.
Following last month's "Visakha Garjana," the supporters of the three capitals organised a sizable public gathering where some state officials and leaders of the ruling party spoke.
The Joint Action Committee, which is made up of organisations in support of decentralisation, organised the "Seema Garjana," which drew participants from around the Rayalaseema area.
The conference was attended by YSRCP MLAs, MLCs, Ministers Amjad Basha, Buggana Rajendranath, P. Ramachandra Reddy, Gummanuru Jayaram, and other members of the public.
The public forum to support the state government's initiative for decentralising development with three state capitals reportedly drew more than a lakh attendees, according to the organisers.
Minister of Finance and Planning Buggana Rajendranath requested clarification from Telugu Desam Party (TDP) President and Leader of the Opposition N. Chandrababu Naidu on whether or not he supported the establishment of the Andhra Pradesh High Court in Kurnool.
According to the Minister, the high court will be erected atop the city's Jagannath mound so that it can be seen from 10 kilometres away.
In the interest of the future of children, farmers, and the entire region, he continued, the push to establish the high court would continue.
Only the YSRCP government, according to Energy, Forest, and Environment Minister Ramachandra Reddy, can develop Kurnool into a major courthouse. He issued a warning that Chandrababu Naidu would attempt to establish Amaravati as the sole state capital if he were to regain power.
The Minister made it clear that although Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy wants Amaravati to be one of the three state capitals, he has never opposed its growth as the capital.
The plan, he explained, "is to do justice to all three regions."
He informed the populace that the YSRCP government plans to create Kurnool as the judicial capital, Amaravati as the legislative capital, and Visakhapatnam as the administrative capital.
Gummanuru Jayaram, the minister of labour, asked the Telugu film industry to assist the construction of the high court in Kurnool. He suggested that Pawan Kalyan, an actor and the leader of the Jana Sena Party, support the idea as well.
The Ministers emphasised that the YSRCP thought decentralisation was the only option for the state's overall growth and, more significantly, for maintaining the state's unity.
By having three capitals, the government supports decentralisation of the executive branch. It thinks that the three-capital strategy will help Rayalaseema, a region in southeastern India, flourish along the coast between West Godavari and Nellore.
'Simha Garjana' featured cultural acts. The participants also let off balloons pleading with the Chief Minister to make Kurnool the judicial capital.
(Inputs from Agencies)