Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday once again trained his guns on his predecessor – YSRCP leader YS Jagan Mohan Reddy – over the sprawling Rushikonda Palace the former CM built in Visakhapatnam. Referring to Reddy as “Andhra Escobar” – after the infamous Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar – Naidu said, “In total he (YS Jagan) did not spend even Rs 400 crores on irrigation project but for his own palace, he spent Rs 431 crores.” He accused the Chief Minister of extravagant spending, and misleading the public about the estate’s true purpose and use.
Drone footage of the Rs 431 crore property
"You might have heard what they said during the construction of this place, at every point they started saying lies. They said that they are constructing this for tourism purposes; after that when some talks emerged, they said that this is for the stay for Prime Minister and President when they visit," Naidu continued. "If Prime Minister or the President comes, they stay in a Naval guest house. That's a small guest house. They never asked for this type of palace, but they even dragged them into this."
Naidu further said, "Today I am asking the people of Andhra Pradesh, I am not able to understand his (Jagan) mindset. Is he thinking of himself as a king or much bigger than a king?"
Raising concerns over the lavish complex, Naidu said, "There is Vengi block. We understood 2-3 blocks but how did this Vengi block come up, we are not able to understand. They constructed a big block for the servants and people who will be working here."
Elaborating further, he said, "Just now, if we see based on what our leaders said, there's one 100 KVA sub station, 200 tonnes AC, central AC… We saw the fans. Once upon a time, I saw a chandelier. Now I saw fancy fans. Air condition also looks fancy which we never saw anywhere. I am also surprised, I have been to so many countries. How did these thieves get such a big idea? They used money like anything. It's not their own money and they violated all the rules, not just one or two – National Green Tribunal, the High Court, Central government – they kept everyone aside and constructed as per their wish. They threatened the officer and got their work done. If there is a thorough inquiry, all these officers would be under fire. He is a cruel person and a big criminal, that is why I called him 'Andhra Escobar'."
YSRCP Denies Charges
YSRCP, however, had denied all charges earlier. In June this year, party spokesperson Kanumuri Ravi Chandra Reddy stated that the buildings were government assets rather than private properties of Jagan Mohan Reddy. "Those buildings don't belong to Jagan Mohan Reddy's private property, they are government assets," he had said.