A day before he is set to be sworn in as Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Telugu Desam Party chief N Chandrababu Naidu confirmed on Tuesday that Amaravati would be the state capital.
He made the announcement at the NDA Legislative Party meeting held at Vijayawada, during which he was unanimously elected the alliance’s leader of the House. Jana Sena Party chief K Pawan Kalyan proposed his name, and this was supported by BJP state president and newly elected MP D Purandeswari.
“Amaravati will be the capital of our state. We will aim to develop the entire state, not just a few places,” Naidu said.
The NDA, which comprised the TDP, JSP and BJP in Andhra Pradesh, comprehensively defeated the ruling YSRCP in the simultaneous state Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.
Taking a dig at outgoing CM Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, who had said he would develop Visakhapatnam as the administrative capital and take oath there, Naidu said the people had responded to the idea by defeating the YSRCP in Visakhapatnam.
Reddy had floated the idea of decentralised development in the state with Amaravati as legislative capital, Visakhapatnam as administrative capital, and Kurnool as judicial capital.
He also said that those who committed crimes during the previous regime would face the law.
In Tuesday’s meeting, Naidu said, “We will function democratically and secularly and no one’s self respect will be taken away. We will all work together for everyone.”
He said the government’s motto would be ‘State First’. “We do not know what our financial situation is. We do not know what the debt of our state is, where money was borrowed from, and what was mortgaged. We will work with the motto of ‘State First’ and aim for all round development,” Naidu said.
He had taken a vow, he said, “that if I return to Assembly again, it will be as CM”.
He also heaped praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for leading India to a “position of prestige”.
JSP chief Pawan Kalyan said that Naidu’s experience and vision were required to lead the state.
