Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai introduced the Bill, after the government listed it in the agenda items of the House, through a supplementary list of Business. Earlier, the Bill was not listed in the Lok Sabha’s revised list of Business.
The Bill seeks to amend Section 5 of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, to include the name Amaravati as the new capital of Andhra Pradesh, with effect from June 2, 2024. The Centre has brought this Bill to give effect to a Resolution passed by the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly on March 28. The AP Legislative Assembly had urged the Centre to incorporate Amaravati as the new capital in the AP Reorganisation law.
The amended Bill seeks to avoid the “ambiguity” caused by the previous Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government, which proposed decentralised development and a three-capital formula – Amaravati as the legislative capital, Visakhapatnam as the administrative capital, and Kurnool as the judicial capital.
Supporting the Bill, Congress member B Manickam Tagore demanded special category status for Andhra Pradesh.
“We support this Bill, but we demand accountability, we demand justice, we demand special category,” Tagore said.
Participating in the debate, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) member and Minister of State for Rural Development Dr Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani highlighted the extraordinary sacrifices of farmers and women who stood at the forefront of the Amaravati movement. Over 29,000 farmers voluntarily entrusted more than 34,000 acres of their ancestral land to the state and endured prolonged uncertainty due to shifting policy directions, he said.
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The Bill is not merely a legal correction, but a moral reaffirmation—restoring dignity, justice, and trust among those who made unparalleled sacrifices for the state’s future, Pemmasani said.
Supporting the Bill, BJP member C M Ramesh said his party also passed a resolution in 2015 supporting Amaravati as the capital of Andhra Pradesh. The Bill gives legal backing to the new capital Amaravati, he said.
YSR Congress protest
YSRCP opposed the Bill in its “present form” and staged a walkout from the House.
“This Bill in this present state is no use for the people of our state. So, we oppose this Bill in the present form. Though we are not against Amaravati or any other parts of the state… We are against his Bill in its present form and we are going to make a walkout,” YSRCP member PV Midhun Reddy said.
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Reddy said that the Bill has no meaning unless the interests of farmers are protected and a definite timeline is set for compensation for their land acquired to build Amravati. He said 34,000 acres were acquired by the state government for the development of Amaravati as the capital, with the promise of giving free developed plots, a housing scheme and free education for the children of the affected people. However, nothing has been given to them so far.
Supporting the Bill, Samajwadi Party (SP) member Dharmendra Yadav asked whether the TDP-led Andhra Pradesh government has provided compensation to farmers whose land has been acquired for the new capital.
“I support this Bill. But I have a few questions. I have a question for the BJP and the TDP; if you have accepted Visakhapatnam as the capital of the state, there would have been no requirement to take so much loan and acquire so much land,” Yadav said.
“Have you given four times compensation to farmers? Farmers should get the full compensation,” he said.
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Yadav supported Andhra Pradesh’s demand for a special category status.
Earlier in the day, Opposition members protested over the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, forcing the House to be adjourned till noon. The government had listed the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, in the revised list of Business of Lok Sabha, but after Opposition members protested and demanded its withdrawal, it was not moved.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju assured the Opposition members that the government will move the Bill for consideration and passing on Wednesday.
