Published May 21, 2026 | 5:12 PM ⚊ Updated May 21, 2026 | 5:12 PM
YS Jagan Mohan Reddy
Synopsis: Jagan Mohan Reddy fiercely criticised the TDP-led government’s Amaravati capital project, incentives for having children, failures in governance and political violence.
Mounting a fresh attack, former chief minister and YSRCP president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy fired a volley of allegations targeting the TDP-led NDA government in Andhra Pradesh.
Addressing a news conference at the party headquarters in Tadepalli, Guntur, on Thursday, 21 May, the former chief minister said the renewed Amaravati capital project has become a vehicle for financial irregularities and termed it an “ATM for corruption”.
Jagan did not spare Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s promise of cash incentives for women having their third and fourth babies. The chief minister’s remarks reduced women to instruments of reproduction, he alleged.
The YSRCP leader also launched a broadside against alleged government failures and political violence.
Jagan directed his major offensive at the Amaravati capital project, describing it as a vehicle for financial irregularities and calling it an “ATM for corruption.”
He told reporters that loans and commitments linked to Amaravati have crossed ₹47,387 crore, with another ₹9,200 crore flowing directly from the state treasury.
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The YSRCP leader raised construction costs as a central concern, saying civil construction estimates had moved from below ₹5,000 per square foot during his tenure to ₹20,427 per square foot under the present government.
Including furniture and interiors, Jagan claimed costs would exceed ₹30,000 per square foot across the five proposed buildings.
He alleged that the government had spent ₹401 crore on building designs alone, and that the five proposed buildings carried a projected cost of ₹10,665 crore.
Jagan compared this to the Telangana Secretariat, built during the tenure of former Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, at approximately ₹615 crore, questioning why Andhra Pradesh would spend a larger amount while the state is under financial pressure.
He pointed out that the temporary Assembly, High Court and Secretariat buildings constructed earlier for ₹1,200 crore were already available. But the government pushed ahead with fresh construction.
He also alleged that the land pooling process within Amaravati had benefited people with connections to the ruling party, with returnable plots along key roads going to Naidu’s associates. The farmer, he alleged, received less valuable land in low-lying areas.
Jagan argued that Amaravati lacked the infrastructure base to justify its costs, saying roads, drainage and basic services alone would require close to ₹2 lakh crore in future spending.
Also Read: Andhra’s cash for more children will make women pay with their health
Jagan defended YSRCP’s proposed MAVIGAN corridor — covering Machilipatnam, Vijayawada and Gannavaram — as a practical alternative rooted in existing infrastructure.
He said the region — covering the Machilipatnam Port and Vijayawada International Airport — already supported a population of 35 to 40 lakh, and it connects through three railway stations and four national highways, and hosts nine government and private medical colleges alongside multiple universities.
Jagan claimed the proposal had attracted support from people across the region, and accused the Naidu government of working to suppress discussion around MAVIGAN through what he described as a “yellow media ecosystem” that portrays YSRCP as a political villain.
He said the government reacts with force whenever the MAVIGAN proposal surfaces in public debate, suggesting this reaction revealed the weakness of the case for Amaravati.
Also Read: Pregnancy care costs more than Naidu’s offer
Jagan turned to recent statements made by Naidu encouraging people to have more children, saying such remarks reduced women to instruments of reproduction.
“Calling on people to have three or four children and treating women as machines to produce children is the most degrading kind of politics,” he said.
He argued that women drive both families and the economy, and that no policy conversation should strip them of that standing.
“If women are doing well, families will do well. If women are happy, the rural economy survives, and the state economy survives,” he said.
Jagan positioned his criticism not merely as a political attack but as a statement on how governance approached the lives of women in Andhra Pradesh.
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Jagan questioned the government’s stated move to reduce ministerial convoys, citing fuel conservation and financial discipline.
He challenged the sincerity of both Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, saying leaders within the ruling alliance continue to operate private aircraft and helicopters while speaking publicly about austerity.
“Each one has their own private chopper and private aircraft. If you go to the airport today, you will see three planes and three choppers parked there, whether here or at the Hyderabad airport,” he said.
He accused the government of attempting to mislead the public on expenditure cuts while welfare delivery remained uncertain.
Picking up on a remark made by IT Minister Nara Lokesh, who reportedly told an audience that the TDP government and YSRCP government “are not the same,” Jagan said he agreed, but on his own terms.
“Yes, both can never be the same. Your history is forming a party through backstabbing and stealing the party symbol. Our history is standing up against odds and forming a government with people’s support,” he said.
He alleged that the Naidu government had broken promises after winning the 2024 election, describing the abandonment of manifesto commitments as a pattern.
Jagan cited his government’s direct benefit transfers as evidence, claiming his administration transferred Rs 2.73 lakh crore directly into beneficiaries’ bank accounts across five years.
He then alleged that the current government had borrowed over Rs 3.4 lakh crore within two years while discontinuing welfare schemes launched during the YSRCP tenure.
“In two years, you borrowed more than what we had borrowed during our tenure, cancelled all our schemes, and turned your ‘Super Six’ and ‘Super Seven’ promises into deception,” he charged.
Jagan addressed allegations of political violence, turning the question back on the TDP.
He said three members of his family had faced violence over the years, citing the murder of his grandfather, YS Raja Reddy, the death of former Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy, and the killing of former minister YS Vivekananda Reddy.
“I have doubts over the death of my father, YS Rajasekhara Reddy, in a helicopter crash,” he said.
He alleged that the murder of Vivekananda Reddy took place during a TDP-led government, and further claimed that senior leader Harirama Jogaiah had publicly accused Naidu of involvement in the political conspiracy surrounding the killing of Vangaveeti Mohana Ranga.
Jagan also raised the removal of NT Rama Rao from the chief ministership, accusing Naidu of betraying his father-in-law to capture power, a charge TDP has consistently denied.
As the coalition government reached the two-year mark, Jagan said Naidu had nothing to show the people.
He described the state as having descended into what he called “Jungle Raj,” where voices that raise questions face police cases and political pressure.
Jagan alleged that the ruling dispensation had arrested a journalist connected to the YSRCP, using institutions to silence dissent. He said, “Chandrababu is proving every day that ‘Babu is a guarantee of fraud and deceit.'”
