Prime Minister Modi betrayed people of Andhra Pradesh again, says APCC chief Sharmila

APCC president Y.S. Sharmila. File
| Photo Credit: G.N. RAO

Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Y.S. Sharmila on Saturday said the people of the State feel betrayed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “all-talk-no-substance” speech on Friday at the relaunch of the Amaravati capital works.

“Mr. Modi repeated the same lies he had spoken 10 years ago, but packaged them in a more polished way this time,” Ms. Sharmila posted on X.

“According to Section 94 (3) of the Andhra Pradesh State Reorganisation Act, 2014, the responsibility of building the new capital for the newly formed Andhra Pradesh lies entirely with the Central Government. The Centre is obligated to provide basic infrastructure in the new capital. Though the Act clearly outlines the Centre’s responsibilities, Mr. Modi has not given the State anything,” she said.

“In 2015, the Prime Minister had laid the foundation stone. This time, he simply dusted off his hands and walked away,” the APCC chief alleged.

Mr. Modi’s claim that the Centre had done everything for Amaravati since 2015 was a blatant lie. “If it is true, why hasn’t the capital city been built even now?” she asked.

“Out of the ₹1 lakh crore required for the capital’s construction, has even a single rupee been allocated? Has the Centre officially promised to take responsibility for the construction? Has it at least announced legal status for Amaravati? Has the Centre provided any time-bound clarity on the assurances made during bifurcation?” she sought to know.

Ms. Sharmila said Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu should do some soul-searching to realise that he was repeatedly being betrayed by Mr. Modi.

Mr. Naidu should explain why he was planning to mobilise ₹60,000 crore loan for construction of the capital, even while claiming that the State had a debt of ₹10 lakh crore and that the employees’ salary was being paid with borrowed money, she said.

She also accused Mr. Naidu of pledging the State to the World Bank, ADB, KfW and HUDCO, and also of selling government lands for capital construction.