PM Modi 'blatantly lied' about Centre’s support for Amaravati since 2015: APCC chief Sharmila

Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Y S Sharmila on Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of lying about the Centre’s support to Amaravati since 2015, questioning why no capital city has been built if such claims were true.

A day after Modi relaunched the construction of the greenfield capital city Amaravati, claiming that the Centre had extended full support to the project, including building basic infrastructure, Sharmila alleged, "He (Modi) is blatantly lying. If everything has been done for Amaravati since 2015, then why has the capital not been built yet?"

In a release, Sharmila claimed that "the same lies told to the people of Andhra 10 years ago are now being repeated to deceive them again."

She further asked, "Was there an assurance that constructing the capital city is the Centre’s responsibility? Did he (Modi) at least mention statutory protection for Amaravati or offer any time-bound clarity on bifurcation promises?"

The APCC chief questioned whether the Centre had even allocated a rupee for Amaravati, which, she said, requires Rs 1 lakh crore for construction.

"According to Section 94(3) of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, the Centre is fully responsible for building the new capital city of the residuary state," she pointed out.

Advising Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu to introspect, Sharmila said he is "being repeatedly deceived by believing in Modi."

"We ask the chief minister—Amaravati needs funds, not debt. You claim the state is in Rs 10 lakh crore debt and that salaries cannot be paid without loans," she said.

She also demanded to know who authorised Naidu to raise Rs 60,000 crore in debt for the capital’s construction.

"Why are you mortgaging the state to the World Bank, ADB, HUDCO, and KfW (German development bank)?" she asked.

Naidu recently told the Finance Commission that Amaravati requires Rs 77,249 crore for development as a city focused on sustainability, innovation, and inclusive growth. Of this, he said, Rs 31,000 crore had already been secured from the World Bank, HUDCO, and KfW, while another Rs 47,000 crore was needed.

Underscoring that government land belongs to the people, Sharmila questioned why it should be sold to fund the capital.

She cited Naidu’s remarks at a recent village meeting in Nellorepalem, where he said the government holds 4,000 acres that could be sold to recover expenditure.

Asserting that the state cannot take on the Centre, Sharmila asked why the burden of such massive debt was being placed on future generations. The CM must answer the people, she said.

On Friday, amid much fanfare, Modi inaugurated and laid foundation stones for projects worth Rs 58,000 crore in Andhra Pradesh—including the relaunch of Amaravati, Naidu’s ‘dream project’.