00:00Thank you. Next speaker, Madam Srimadhi D. Purandeswuri Ji.
00:07Sir, thank you, Honorable Chair.
00:11Telugu delai anna desambu Telugu. Telugu valla bunda Telugu kanda.
00:17Elanrupula nerga vid basa di desa basa landu Telugu lessa.
00:21With deep respect and regard to my own mother language, sir.
00:25But since I have members of parliament from the northern parliament's constituencies as well,
00:32I would seek to progress further in English.
00:34Sir, today I rise with great humility and responsibility, sir.
00:38Not merely as a member of this August house, but also as the proud daughter of the state of Andhra
00:45Pradesh,
00:46echoing the voices of five crore people, including the farmers and women of my state.
00:51Sir, what I place before this house today is simply not about a city or a town,
00:57but it is about sacrifice, about constitutional fairness, and about the moral duty of the Indian state.
01:05Sir, when AP was bifurcated or Andhra Pradesh was bifurcated in 2014, sir, leaving Hyderabad,
01:11the joint capital of the newly formed state of Telangana as well as the residual state of Andhra Pradesh,
01:17Andhra Pradesh needed a new administrative center.
01:21Amaravati, sir, keeping in mind its spiritual, its historical, as well as its religious significance in mind,
01:30was actually identified to be the capital of our state.
01:33Sir, Telangana began its journey with Hyderabad as the capital, sir,
01:38which was ready, functional, and globally recognized.
01:41But Andhra Pradesh did not have a capital, neither did it have a secretariat, an assembly, or administrative ecosystem.
01:50Sir, on the 8th of February 2014, sir, that should be considered a black day in the annals of Indian
01:59parliamentary history.
02:00Because it was on that day, sir, that the doors were shut, the cameras were shut down, there was no
02:06healthy discussion,
02:08but yet a state was bifurcated on the floor of the house, sir.
02:12The people of Andhra Pradesh, the five crore people of Andhra Pradesh,
02:16they accepted the loss peacefully and constitutionally, keeping the nation's interest in mind.
02:23And that, quite, dignity, sir, laid the emotional foundation for our capital, Amaravati.
02:30There were three states, sir, I would like to remind the house that in the year 2000,
02:35when one of the greatest statesmen of our country, Shri Atil Bihari Vajpayeeji, was the prime minister of our country,
02:42three states were formed, sir, Jharkhand, Chattisgarh, and Uttarakhand.
02:45And all of them, sir, they did get as their hereditary a capital, or for that matter,
02:52an area was identified to be the capital of the state.
02:55But Andhra was subjected to deep humiliation, and this was probably the first state in the entire history, sir,
03:02where a state was created with a state, a residual state was left, sir, with no capital at all.
03:09Sir, there was absolutely no coercion.
03:11And just one call by the centre, sir, it had seen 29,000 farmers come forward to contribute,
03:19or rather give up 34,000 hectares of, 34,000 acres of fertile land, sir, for the construction of capital
03:28Amaravati.
03:29Therefore, Amaravati, sir, is not a mere transaction, but it is a social covenant.
03:34And today, probably that is why Amaravati will be remembered in history, sir, as the first, as India's first people
03:43capital,
03:43built not by coercion, but built by belief, sir.
03:48Sir, when the Honorable Prime Minister, Sri Narendra Modi ji, was in Andhra Pradesh,
03:53and he laid the foundation stone for Amaravati in 2015,
03:57that was a moment of reassurance to a wounded state.
04:01Sir, it was an assurance from the nation directly to the state of Andhra Pradesh.
04:06In 1953, sir, the state of Andhra Pradesh was formed based on linguistic identity.
04:13Fighting discrimination against the Telgavites in the then Madras presidency,
04:18there was a demand for a creation of a special linguistic-based state, sir.
04:24And it was late Potishri Ramalgaru's sacrificer, which led to his death and also led to the formation of the
04:36state.
04:37Sir, it should be remembered here today that that sacrifice, it had laid the moral and emotional foundation of the
04:45state of Andhra Pradesh.
04:46However, sir, the bifurcation that had happened on 18th of February 2014,
04:52the bifurcation was not against any kind of injustice to the other part of the state,
04:59but was driven by sheer and pure political gains by the then-Congress-led UPA government, sir.
05:08Unlike the earlier movement, rooted in sacrifice and political aspiration,
05:15the bifurcation, sir, was carried out in a manner that raises serious constitutional, moral, as well as ethical concerns.
05:23Sir, between the years 2019 to 2024, Andhra Pradesh had seen a period of deep uncertainty regarding the capital, sir,
05:33which was the result of the absolute thoughtless and mindless decision of multi-capitals taken by the then-YSRCP government.
05:43Sir, despite the then-LOP in the state of Andhra Pradesh, on the floor of the Assembly,
05:51accepting to the establishment of Amaravati as the capital,
05:55and despite him reiterating that if not 34,000 acres, 50,000 acres should be taken to create a futuristic,
06:04wonderful, beautiful capital for the state of Andhra Pradesh,
06:09it was he who changed his words, sir, and brought onto the scene the multi-capitals with the stated objectives
06:16of decentralized development.
06:18Sir, my question here would be, would simply the establishment of a capital bring in the much-needed development to
06:25a state?
06:25Sir, we know fairly well that for the development of a state, we need to instill confidence in investors,
06:32we need to welcome investments, and we also need to ensure that the required logistical and infrastructural needs are actually
06:41put in place.
06:42However, sir, what we saw in the previous five years' rule of YSRCP was simply a depletion of all of
06:49this,
06:50and the entire missionary of YSRCP was deemed or stooped or steeped in land and in sand as well as
06:59liquor mafia, sir.
07:01Sir, most painfully, those who had sacrificed the land were left with, sir, just another five, six minutes, sir.
07:07No, please.
07:07Sir, the farmers, sir, they agitated for over 1,600 days, sir.
07:13It included both men and women, and the humiliation that they were subjugated to has been mentioned by my colleagues,
07:19sir.
07:19Cases were filed against them under the SES Act, a trustee act.
07:23Women were actually, pregnant women were pulled out, they were kicked in the stomach, sir,
07:28and the Anadatas or the farmers, sir.
07:33They were handcuffed and there were many, all of them have been outlined by them, sir.
07:38But here, sir, as a woman member of this house, I say with great restraint and responsibility
07:43that when peaceful women protesters are met with force, democracy must pause and must introspect.
07:51Sir, under, there is no specific mention of a capital in the constitution, sir,
07:56but under article 239 AA, dealing with Delhi, sir, there was a mention,
08:02but however, sir, the reorganization bill speaks through section 5 and section 6
08:08of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act 2014 that was passed by this house.
08:14It speaks about the capital, sir.
08:15And therefore, sir, if there has to be any change in the capital,
08:20it will and must have to come back to the parliament for its, just two minutes, sir.
08:25It must come back to the house for its ratification.
08:28So, furthermore, the central government, sir, despite it not being part of it,
08:33the central government had provided its entire support to the capital, sir.
08:38It could be the 1,500 crores that it gave for the development of infrastructure in the CRDA.
08:43It could be the 20,000 crores for the outer ring road,
08:48the 29,000 crores for connecting Rai L. S. Manantapuram with Amravati, sir.
08:54Polavaram being given the national project status,
08:58where the seven mandals which were residually left behind in Telangana
09:01were again brought back to Andhra Pradesh,
09:04otherwise Polavaram's dream would not have been realized.
09:07It could also be the support, sir.
09:09I was listening to Manikam Takurji and he was mentioning that there is no support being given to the capital
09:15Amravati.
09:15Sir, may I remind my honourable colleague, sir, that through HUDCO,
09:2011,400 crores have been given and again, along with World Bank,
09:25the centre has also given 15,000 crores for the capital, sir.
09:31Special category status was never made part of the bill,
09:33even by the UPA government at that point of time.
09:36But the present government, sir, the NDA government at the centre has been giving its full support, sir.
09:41Sir, in conclusion, since positive of time, you have been reminding me that my time is over.
09:46Sir, Andhra Pradesh, sir, today is, yeah, is,
09:52why we are here to seek regulation, statutory recognition for Amravati, sir,
09:57is not political but on moral and constitutional grounds.
10:01Sir, statutory protection for Amravati is, is really essential
10:06because no state would have to lose its capital for the second time.
10:10No farmer, being a, whether a man or woman, should fear no policy reversal.
10:16Investors need certainty and not shifting of capitals.
10:20And a reorganised state, sir, it deserves stability and experiment.
10:25Sir, in conclusion, conclusion, sir,
10:27I would like to only say that Andhra Pradesh today is seeking no privilege, sir.
10:33It seeks certainty.
10:35It is not asking for politics, sir, but it is asking for justice.
10:39It is not asking for sympathy, sir, but it is asking for the faith of the farmers,
10:45be it men or women, to be honoured in law and policy.
10:48Let Amravati, sir, be remembered today, not as a dispute but a lesson that when citizens trust the state,
10:56the state will protect that trust.
10:59I urge this August house, sir, to stand with the state of Andhra Pradesh so that Amravati stands forever,
11:07a stable, lawful and proud capital and as a testament of how India honours sacrifice.
11:14Sir, I was listening to Samajwadi party, Dharmendra ji, and he stood up and said that we would support Amravati,
11:21sir.
11:22Maybe he said that he spoke about the farmers which is accepted in true spirit.
11:26However, sir, it is quite unfortunate to see the YSRCP parliament members walk out, sir,
11:32and not wanting to vote for Amravati.
11:34Thank you, sir.
11:35Thank you very much, Sri Aravind Savan ji.
11:37Thank you very much.
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