Months of chaos…almost 50 days of Amaravati farmers’ protest…verbal attacks from the oppositions..but Chief Minister Jagan chose to remain tight-lipped over the capital shift decision. However, the YSRCP supremo on Wednesday for the first time openly reacted to the issue, defending the state government’s move to decentralise the capital. Stating that the state has no financial capability to develop a capital like Amaravati, Jagan explained the rationale behind his move. Speaking at an Education Conclave in Vijayawada, the CM said – “the amount required is more than Rs 1 lakh crore and my ability to put in would be like a drop of water in an ocean.”
Justifying the state government’s decision, Jagan stated that establishing the executive capital at Vishakhapatnam makes more monetary sense because it already has most of the basic infrastructure in place. “”As the Chief Minister, I am answerable to the next generation. I assure you that in a decade’s time Visakhapatnam would compete with cities like Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai in all aspects,” he asserted. He then took a dig at the opposition leaders for finding faults with his every move irrespective of his motive to take the state forward. During his speech, Jagan also defended the introduction of English medium in all government schools in the state.
