Visakhapatnam will be AP capital, asserts YS Jagan Mohan Reddy

New Delhi: Unmindful of the fact that the 3-capitals issue is sub-judice, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday announced at a business summit that AP's capital will shift to Vishakhapatnam in 'the months to come' while inviting investments to the place.

The matter is pending in the Supreme Court.

This is a reiterating of the government stand, no doubt, but comes at an investment summit for the first time to reflect government's commitment to the same. Jagan was referring to Visakhapatnam where an investment summit is to be held shortly to say, "Here I am to invite you to Visakhapatnam, which is going to be our capital in the days to come''. A global summit is scheduled for March 3 and 4 at Visakhapatnam. "I myself will be shifting over to Visakhapatnam in the months to come," he added.

The three-capitals issue has become a bitter political template for the Opposition to take on the ruling YSRCP which is bent upon shifting the capital to Visakhapatnam from Amaravati, retaining the latter as a Legislative Capital while Kurnool set to become the Judicial Capital in the new scheme of things.

The Chief Minister seeks the experiment to decentralize development for the all-round growth of the three regions. The state government has abolished the Capital Region Development Authority too through legislation but later restored the same following unfavourable litigation in the High Court.

Later, it knocked the doors of the Supreme Court. The farmers of Amaravati have gone on a prolonged agitation against the moves and countered the government moves with their petitions in the Apex Court too. It also led to bitter political battle with the TDP mainly as the government accused 'insider trading' in the planning of Amaravati as capital which the TDP denied and the issue further degenerated into accusing the then Chief Justice of the Supreme Court along with some other judges.