Jana Sena Party president Pawan Kalyan has announced that Amaravati will be retained as the capital of Andhra Pradesh if his party is voted to power in 2024 elections.
Addressing a gathering on the first day of his Varahi Yatra here on June 14 (Wednesday), Mr. Pawan Kalyan claimed that at least 185 farmers who had parted with their land for the capital city of Amaravati had died in distress even since the YSRCP government floated the idea of setting up three capitals in the State.
“Why was Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy silent over the issue when he was in the Opposition? He wanted 5,000 acres more for Amaravati and changed his stand on the issue after coming to power,” said the Jana Sena party president.
Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy should have brought in a policy to attract people from every region of the State to Amaravati as it happened in Cyberabad in the undivided Andhra Pradesh. “Instead, the Chief Minister is playing the three-capital drama,” he said.
Referring to the welfare of Dalits, Mr. Pawan Kalyan alleged that Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy had scrapped 18 welfare schemes for the Dalits. “What is the point in building a 100-foot-tall statue of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar if the welfare schemes for Dalits are scrapped?” he asked.
‘Early polls likely’
Claiming that Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy was preparing for the early elections in the State, Mr. Pawan Kalyan said, “The polls are most likely to be held in November or December. The youth must vote wisely. The Kapus must decide whether they should vote in favour of the Chief Minister who denied reservations to the community,” he said.
Hinting at the party’s election manifesto, Mr. Pawan Kalyan said that he was planning to supply sand to the families belonging to the Below Poverty Line (BPL) category free of cost and release the grants to the local bodies in full if the JSP was voted to power.
