Nine Years of Neglect: Sharmila Blames Modi, Chandrababu, Jagan
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Amaravati on May 2 to initiate the reconstruction works of the Andhra Pradesh capital. In anticipation of the visit, Andhra Pradesh Congress President YS Sharmila made sharp remarks, demanding clarity on several issues before the Prime Minister’s arrival.
YS Sharmila alleged that the only assistance Prime Minister Narendra Modi had extended to Amaravati was symbolic — "a pot of water and a handful of soil." She criticized Modi for what she described as a hollow gesture during the foundation ceremony in the past, claiming that it symbolically hurt the pride of the people of Andhra Pradesh. “Back then, you hurled soil on the heads of the people of Andhra through a symbolic air motor, and now you return to whitewash the betrayal,” she said.
She further stated, “You have turned Amaravati, the symbol of Andhra’s self-respect, into just another of Modi’s foundation projects.” These remarks were made during an event hosted on the X platform.
YS Sharmila accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of committing a major betrayal with respect to the capital city. She alleged that the BJP had reduced the height of the Polavaram dam, inflicted grave injustice, and falsely claimed that a loan of ₹15,000 crore constituted support for the capital. She questioned Modi’s sincerity, saying, “If you truly cared about Amaravati, why did you remain indifferent for nine years?”
She posed a series of questions to the Prime Minister: “Have you ever shown responsibility towards the capital's construction? Did you allocate even a single rupee for Amaravati? Did you question N. Chandrababu Naidu about the implementation of the 3D graphics plan? When the previous YSR Congress government played a game of division in the name of three capitals, were you not just a spectator? Why did you not restrain your adopted son? When the movement of Amaravati farmers reached Delhi, why was there no response? Have you forgotten your promise of building a capital greater than Delhi?”
YS Sharmila demanded that Narendra Modi explain on what basis he is returning for the foundation-laying ceremony after discarding all the earlier promises. She held Modi, Chandrababu Naidu, and Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy responsible for the lack of a state capital even ten years after bifurcation, saying, “If Andhra Pradesh still doesn’t have a capital after ten years, then the prime accused are A1 Modi, A2 Chandrababu, and A3 Jagan Mohan Reddy.”
She emphasized that the construction of a new capital for Andhra Pradesh was a part of the bifurcation promises and should have been fully funded by the Central Government. She urged the Prime Minister to make a concrete funding announcement for Amaravati and to fulfill the long-pending commitments such as granting Special Category Status for ten years, merging the Vizag Steel Plant with SAIL, supporting the Kadapa Steel Plant, providing a special package for backward regions, and establishing industrial corridors.
YS Sharmila concluded by demanding clarity from the Prime Minister on whether the height of the Polavaram dam would be maintained at 45 meters or reduced to 41 meters, and whether there would be genuine progress in the works being restarted in Amaravati.
