New Delhi, April 1 The Congress and the BJP, along with the TDP, on Wednesday voiced their support for a bill seeking to recognize Amaravati as the sole and permanent capital of Andhra Pradesh, stating their desire for the development of a permanent capital for the southern state.
During the debate on the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2026, in the Lok Sabha, Congress member Manickam Tagore stated that the Congress fully supports the legislation but also wants to grant Andhra Pradesh a special status, which is the successor state to the former undivided Andhra Pradesh following the creation of Telangana.
"Let Amaravati develop like Bangalore, Chennai, or Hyderabad. Let Visakhapatnam, Tirupati, and Kurnool also develop. We support Amaravati as the permanent capital of Andhra Pradesh," he said.
TDP member and Union Minister of State for Rural Development and Communications, Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani, also appealed to the House to pass the bill unanimously, as it will ensure a permanent capital for Andhra Pradesh.
BJP member C M Ramesh said this is the first time in the history of independent India that a bill has been brought to Parliament to declare a particular place as the capital of a state.
"From now on, no one will be able to 'play' with the capital of Andhra Pradesh, as Amaravati will be the sole and permanent capital of the state," he said.
Ramesh criticized the earlier state government's move to make three capitals for Andhra Pradesh, calling the decision "illogical and irrational."
"This bill will ensure that no one will play with the capital of Andhra Pradesh. We want a permanent capital for Andhra Pradesh, and then there will be revenue and the state will flourish," he said.
However, YSR Congress Party, Andhra Pradesh's arch rival, strongly opposed the legislation, stating that it has no meaning unless the interests of farmers are protected and a definite timeline is provided for compensation to farmers.
YSRCP member P V Midhun Reddy said that the state government had acquired 34,000 acres for the development of Amaravati as the capital, with the promise of providing free developed plots, housing schemes, and free education for the children of the affected people. However, nothing has been provided so far.
"They are not concerned about farmers. Give a specific date, a specific timeline – when the plots will be given to the farmers. Incorporate all these points in the bill, otherwise there is no meaning," he said.
Reddy alleged that the state's TDP government is not concerned about where the huge amount of funds would come from for the development of such a large capital.
"You want to develop a capital bigger than Kolkata, but there is no clue from where the funds will come," he said.
The YSRCP MP justified his party's government's decision to plan for three capitals, saying it was nothing new, as there were many such examples globally.
"We want the concerns of the farmers to be protected in the bill. There should be a definite timeline. Otherwise, this bill in its present form has no purpose. We have no opposition to Amaravati as such. But everything has to be clear," he said.
According to the Bill circulated among Lok Sabha members, the provisions of the 2014 Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act provide that on and from the appointed day, Hyderabad will be the common capital for Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for a period not exceeding 10 years.
After which, Hyderabad will be the capital of Telangana, and there will be a new capital for the successor state of Andhra Pradesh.
After the reorganisation law came into being, the Andhra Pradesh government, "after due consideration, consultation, and planning, identified and notified 'Amaravati' as the new capital of that state," the bill noted.
Once the bill becomes an Act, Amravati will be legally recognised as the capital of Andhra Pradesh, effective from June 2, 2024.
It said that significant administrative and legislative measures have been undertaken, besides the infrastructural developments in and around Amaravati, with the objective of establishing it as the capital of Andhra Pradesh.
It observed that on March 28, the state legislative assembly passed a resolution requesting the Centre to amend Section 5 of the Reorganisation Act to incorporate the name of "Amaravati" as the new capital of Andhra Pradesh.
To give effect to the resolution of the state legislative assembly, and to provide "statutory clarity regarding the capital" of AP, the bill proposes to amend sub-section (2) of section 5 of the reorganisation law to incorporate the name of "Amaravati" as the new capital of Andhra Pradesh, effective from June 2, 2024.