Telugu Desam Party on Tuesday strongly rebuffed the suggestion of former YSR Congress party leader and ex-Rajya Sabha member V Vijayasai Reddy that the Chandrababu Naidu government should avoid excessive expenditure and limit construction to essential institutions such as the assembly, secretariat, high court, and government housing and let the city develop on its own.
Senior TDP leader and former MLC Budda Venkanna agreed with Sai Reddy that capital cities like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Chennai evolved over centuries.
However, he stressed that transformational growth in these cities was driven by strategic government investments at critical stages.
Highlighting Hyderabad as a case study, he pointed out that under the leadership of N Chandrababu Naidu, the development of HITEC City around 26 years ago was initially criticised as unnecessary expenditure.
“Today, it has transformed Hyderabad into a global IT hub, generating employment, attracting international investment, and driving economic growth,” he said.
Venkanna argued that limiting Amaravati to basic government buildings would reduce it to a “functional administrative town” rather than a world-class capital.
“Large-scale infrastructure, modern design, and planned urbanisation are essential to attract industries and investments,” he said.
Justifying the borrowing of funds for the capital development, Venkanna said if utilised effectively, as seen in major global cities, Amaravati would yield rich dividends.
He further stated that the people of Andhra Pradesh had endorsed a visionary, large-scale capital by electing Chandrababu Naidu, and urged critics to stop what he termed “negative propaganda” against Amaravati.
“A capital city is not just a cluster of offices; it represents a state’s prestige, economic strength, and future potential,” he asserted, calling for a long-term vision in building Amaravati.