Sajjala calls Amaravati ‘mother of all scams,’ targets Naidu

Vijayawada: YSRC Pstate coordinator Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy on Saturday launched a broadside against Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, alleging large-scale corruption and irregularities in the Amaravati capital project, which he termed the “mother of all scams.”

Addressing the media at party central office in Tadepalli, Ramakrishna Reddy said the YSRCP has never belittled Amaravati but has consistently questioned alleged scams being carried out in its name.

He accused the Chief Minister of awarding contracts to companies linked to close associates and collecting a 4 per cent commission through inflated mobilisation advances. “For the Rs 1 lakh crore loan taken for Amaravati, the State is paying nearly Rs 8,000 crore annually as interest. Why is such massive public money being spent without accountability?” he said, questioning expenses on floodwater pumping and rainwater drainage works in the capital region.

He also questioned the government’s move to undertake a second phase of land pooling without addressing the concerns of farmers who surrendered nearly 50,000 acres in the first phase. He said returnable plots lack basic infrastructure, with no proper roads or amenities. “Justice is not being done to farmers on a priority basis,” he alleged.

Recalling former chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy’s 2019 remarks, Ramakrishna Reddy said developing 50,000 acres itself would require Rs 1 lakh crore, and expanding land pooling to another 50,000 acres would double the burden. “How will Rs 2 lakh crore be mobilised?” he said.

He also flagged the proposed construction of secretariat buildings covering 50 lakh square feet, noting that the Telangana Assembly spans 10 lakh sq ft and Parliament about 7 lakh sq ft. Alleging costs of up to Rs 12,000 per square foot, he accused the government of looting public funds under the guise of development.

On decentralisation, the YSRCP senior leader said YSRCP never abandoned Amaravati and that Jagan’s remarks were being deliberately distorted. He reiterated that Vizag was proposed as an administrative capital purely for growth reasons and questioned why development work was now being undertaken there as well.

Raising Rayalaseema concerns, he accused Naidu of failing to protect the region’s water interests, citing Telangana’s drawal of 8 TMC ft daily from Srisailam. He also questioned secrecy around the Chief Minister’s foreign visits and frequent stays in Hyderabad.

Calling Naidu’s governance ‘anarchic,’ Ramakrishna Reddy appealed to the people and intellectuals to question the government’s actions and safeguard Andhra Pradesh’s future.