Former Minister Gudivada Amarnath has accused TDP MLAs and some Ministers of misleading the public by portraying buildings constructed by the Jagan Mohan Reddy government at Rushikonda as private structures meant for the former Chief Minister’s use.
Addressing a media conference on Monday, Mr. Amarnath strongly criticized the TDP leaders for their statements. He alleged that the TDP has been attempting to halt development projects, including the Rushikonda constructions, undertaken by the previous government by filing court petitions on various grounds.
Mr. Amarnath highlighted that the AP Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) resort at Rushikonda was built during the tenure of former Chief Minister N.T. Rama Rao over three decades ago. He emphasized that the property remains under APTDC’s control and that the new government should determine its public use.
Contrary to TDP’s claims, Mr. Amarnath asserted that the YSRCP government did not construct the asset for personal use. “When our government was in power, we planned to build a State guest house on Bheemunipatnam Beach Road in Visakhapatnam, but the TDP leaders attempted to block this project too. The current government can use it as a guest house for visits by the President, Prime Minister, Chief Minister, or other VVIPs,” he said.
More Read
Mr. Amarnath condemned what he called the ‘false campaign’ by TDP leaders and recalled that when Mr. Jagan was in power, he aimed to make Visakhapatnam the ‘Executive Capital’ of Andhra Pradesh. He noted that TDP leader Ganta Srinivasa Rao had openly supported this decision in 2019. Mr. Jagan also announced his intention to operate from Vizag if the YSRCP won the 2024 elections. A senior IAS officer committee suggested that the Rushikonda buildings were ideal for the CM’s Camp Office.
Refuting accusations of excessive public spending on Rushikonda constructions, Mr. Amarnath pointed out that former Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu spent between ₹5,000 crore and ₹6,000 crore on temporary constructions in Amaravati from 2014-2019. “Ours is a permanent construction, and a public property, which can be put to good use,” he said.
Mr. Amarnath also reiterated previous YSRCP statements, noting that the TDP had estimated ₹1.5 lakh crore for Amaravati’s capital construction. He warned that this cost could escalate to ₹2 lakh crore or more in the next five years.
