Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh) [India]: Andhra Pradesh Minister Nara Lokesh has accused YSRCP chief and former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy of misusing public funds to build a luxurious mansion on Rushikonda hill, originally intended for a tourism project.
Nara Lokesh referred to the extravagant residence as Andhra Pradesh’s ‘Sheesh Mahal’ (glass palace) and criticized Jagan Reddy’s leadership.
“He thought he was the Saddam Hussein of Andhra Pradesh and would remain in power for 30 years,” Lokesh remarked.
Despite belonging to a prominent political family, Lokesh claimed he had never witnessed such extravagant accommodations. He also revealed that the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) imposed a ₹200 crore penalty on the state for environmental violations linked to the mansion’s construction.
“It was a project of Andhra Pradesh’s tourism department before it was converted into ‘Sheesh Mahal’. Former CM Jagan Mohan Reddy thought that he was the ‘Saddam Hussein’ of Andhra Pradesh and that he would remain in power for 30 years,” Lokesh said.
“My grandfather was the CM, my father is the CM, but I have never seen such big rooms in my life. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has also imposed penalties of ₹200 crores on the state, and the ‘Sheesh Mahal’ was built there,” he added.
Lokesh further criticized the extravagant spending on the mansion.
“His (Jagan Mohan Reddy’s) family is small; just four members are left. His sister and mother have been removed from the family. Just for the four people to live in a house, ₹700 crores were spent. Even the PM doesn’t have such a big house. We will think what to do with the house,” Lokesh stated.
The current Telugu Desam Party (TDP)-led NDA government is now facing the challenge of repurposing the opulent estate. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s administration has accused Jagan Mohan Reddy of gross misuse of public funds.
Education Standards Decline Under YSRCP Rule
Nara Lokesh also criticized the previous YSRCP government for causing a significant decline in academic standards in Andhra Pradesh schools.
Speaking in the Legislative Council, Lokesh responded to queries from Duvvarapu Rama Rao, P Ashok Babu, and B Tirumala Naidu. He claimed that under YSRCP’s tenure, students’ reading abilities suffered drastically.
“The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) has mentioned that while 57 per cent of students could easily read books in 2014, the percentage fell to 37.5 during the YSRCP rule,” Lokesh explained.
“In 2014, almost 80 per cent of eighth-grade students could easily read second-grade Telugu books. By 2024, this number dropped to 53 per cent,” he added.
Lokesh also highlighted that the total enrollment in government schools and junior colleges had dropped significantly by 12 lakh students during the YSRCP rule, reducing the total student count to just 33.4 lakh.
He further accused the previous government of imposing unplanned reforms on parents and teachers, which negatively impacted the education sector.
To counter this decline, Lokesh announced that the TDP-led NDA government would introduce 10 to 15 radical reforms aimed at improving educational standards. He assured that political interference would be avoided in teacher transfers to maintain transparency and efficiency.
“The outcome of all education will go up by leaps and bounds, and the TDP-led NDA government is taking this responsibility,” Lokesh affirmed.