PNS|Vijayawada
Minister for Education and IT, Nara Lokesh, launched a scathing attack on the previous YSRCP government, accusing it of derailing Amaravati’s development due to a personal vendetta against TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu. Speaking at the Amaravati Restart event, Lokesh said, “Between 2019 and 2024, the State saw destructive governance. Without laying a single brick, they wasted five years promoting the three capitals plan.”
Recalling the 1,631-day-long Amaravati movement, Lokesh paid tribute to the sacrifices of farmers and women. “From 8-year-olds to 80-year-olds, all raised flags and chanted ‘Jai Amaravati’. Farmers were chained, women were beaten. But the spirit of Amaravati could not be crushed,” he said, honouring the memory of 270 farmers who died during the agitation.
“Amaravati is not a backyard plant to be uprooted at will. It is the people’s capital, etched in the hearts of Andhra’s citizens. Prime Minister Modi laid its foundation stone—no one can undo that,” he declared.
Lokesh thanked PM Modi for reviving Amaravati and supporting Andhra Pradesh’s development. “From Polavaram to Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, Bhogapuram Airport to green energy in Prakasam, the Centre is backing AP’s growth with full force,” he said.
He also hailed the Centre’s caste-based census decision as historic. “What others feared to do for decades, Modi ji did with courage. It’s a landmark step for social justice.”
In a provocative remark, Lokesh reacted to recent statements from Pakistan, saying, “Even if 100 Pakistanis unite, they can’t pluck a blade of grass from Indian soil. PM Modi is our missile—one strike and Pakistan will vanish from the world map.”
Touting the strength of the “double engine sarkar”, Lokesh said the combination of Modi at the Centre and Naidu in the State was propelling progress. He announced MoUs worth Rs 8 lakh crore signed within 10 months, set to generate 5 lakh jobs.
Major investments include NTPC Green Energy in Visakhapatnam (Rs 1.85 lakh crore), ArcelorMittal in Anakapalli (Rs 1.36 lakh crore), and BPCL in Ramayapatnam (Rs 97,000 crore). The State aims to create 20 lakh jobs in the next five years.
“Amaravati is now unstoppable,” Lokesh declared, adding that Andhra Pradesh had regained its momentum for inclusive and rapid growth.
