Dissolve assembly, seek fresh mandate if you intend to shift capital: Chandrababu Naidu to CM

Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday challenged Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy to dissolve the Assembly and seek a fresh mandate if he intended to shift the state capital from Amaravati.

The Leader of the Opposition said he would permanently quit politics if the YSR Congress won a fresh mandate. The state government should conduct a referendum if it was not ready to go for fresh elections, he added. "If you are so bent on going head with your plan (of having three capitals), dissolve the Assembly and go for elections.

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If you win, then take such decisions," the former Chief Minister told Reddy. On Sankranti day, Chandrababu and his family spent the day with farmers and women of Amaravati region, who have been agitating for nearly one month, demanding that the government drop the move to relocate the state capital.

Addressing the farmers at Velagapudi and Tulluru, the TDP chief warned that the Chief Minister was playing with fire. "The Chief Minister has no right to change the state capital... Amaravati is the capital of Gods, but now demons have descended to destroy it, Chandrababu said.

Referring to the government's plans to do away with the AP Capital Region Development Authority Act, enacted in December 2014, Naidu wondered what would be the fate of the agreements the government had signed with the farmers, who gave away their lands for building the capital. "The agreement is sacrosanct. The governments action will not stand legal scrutiny if it is challenged in court," he added. The TDP president said they would soon meet the Governor on the farmers issue seeking justice.

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