Amaravati, April 1, 2026: Health and Medical Minister Satya Kumar Yadav launched a sharp broadside against former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday, accusing him of political inconsistency and deliberate obstructionism in the wake of the Central Government's introduction of a bill in the Lok Sabha to grant statutory recognition to Amaravati as the official capital of Andhra Pradesh.
Speaking at a press conference in Amaravati, Mr. Yadav said Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy's public claim at his Tadepalli residence that he was not opposed to Amaravati as the capital stood exposed within hours, when YSRCP members staged a walkout in the Lok Sabha during the passage of the bill. "The question and the answer are both Jagan's own," the minister said pointedly, adding that the former Chief Minister's remarks that a future government could pass a contrary resolution had, in fact, revealed the very reason why parliamentary legislation was necessary to ensure permanence.
Gratitude to Centre
Minister Yadav expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for expeditiously introducing the bill in Parliament, shortly after the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly had passed a resolution in favour of according statutory status to Amaravati. He also thanked the several political parties that extended support to the legislation in the Lok Sabha.
'Jagan's Duplicity Exposed'
Mr. Yadav alleged that Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy had displayed a pattern of duplicity from the outset on the capital question. He recalled that the former Chief Minister had, on the floor of the state legislature, himself suggested that Amaravati should be developed across at least 33,000 acres. Yet, once in power, he had pursued a three-capital formula — a move the minister described as a deliberate act of sabotage — while simultaneously diverting thousands of acres of valuable land in Visakhapatnam to benami interests and spending ₹500 crore of public money on a personal residence for his family in the port city. "While Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu sees in Amaravati the dreams of the people, the former Chief Minister sees only imagined corruption where none exists," Mr. Yadav said.
Contrasting Visions
The minister drew a sharp contrast between the two administrations. He noted that in the aftermath of bifurcation in 2014, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had laid the groundwork for a world-class capital at Amaravati to fulfil the aspirations of a people who had lost their capital through the division of the state. The subsequent five-year tenure of Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy, he alleged, had seen deliberate neglect and near-destruction of the capital project, facts that the people of Andhra Pradesh were fully aware of when they voted the YSRCP out of power.
'Answer Questions in the Assembly, Not at Press Meets'
Taking aim at Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy's decision to hold a press conference at his Tadepalli residence to raise questions about the Amaravati project, Minister Yadav questioned why the former Chief Minister and his party's 11 legislators were consistently absent from the sessions of the state legislature. "The questions he raises at press conferences would carry far greater weight and democratic legitimacy if raised on the floor of the Assembly, on behalf of the constituents who elected him," he said, adding that press conference rhetoric without legislative participation lacked credibility and commitment.
Rayalaseema's Grievance
Mr. Yadav also turned his attention to what he termed the "unforgivable betrayal" of Rayalaseema under the previous government. He alleged that Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy had promised Kurnool the status of a judicial capital, only to scale that down to a mere High Court bench, and had ultimately failed to even formally submit a proposal to that effect. Not a single major project had been established in Rayalaseema during the YSRCP's five-year tenure, he alleged, and crucial irrigation projects in the region had been left to languish through deliberate neglect. In contrast, he said, the present coalition government had drawn up comprehensive plans for the equitable development of all three regions of the state — Andhra, Rayalaseema, and North Andhra — and was actively implementing them.
The minister concluded by asserting that no amount of conspiracy or misinformation from Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy would impede the emergence of a grand capital at Amaravati under Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu's leadership.
