Credit for JSW Steel Plant Lies With Jagan Government, Claims MP YS Avinash Reddy

Kadapa MP YS Avinash Reddy on Saturday claimed that the proposed JSW Rayalaseema Steel Plant at Jammalamadugu was the result of efforts made by the previous YSRCP government and accused the present administration of attempting to take credit for work completed during former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s tenure.

Addressing a media conference at his camp office in Kadapa, Avinash Reddy said the steel plant project gained significant momentum only after YS Jagan assumed office in 2019. He stated that the former Chief Minister personally engaged with the JSW Group and played a key role in bringing the investment to Andhra Pradesh.

The MP said the previous government had extended several incentives to facilitate the project, including the issuance of GO No. 87 in 2022 , which provided SGST reimbursements, power concessions and other tax-related benefits. He noted that major approvals required for the project, including environmental clearances , Consent for Establishment (CFE) and the allocation of 2 TMC of water from the Gandikota Reservoir , were secured during the YSRCP government’s term.

Highlighting the groundwork completed before the change of government, Avinash Reddy said the steel plant was planned across 3,300 acres , with 1,100 acres allotted to JSW in the first phase . He added that nearly 640 acres had already been acquired , while funds were sanctioned for a four-lane road connecting the project site to the national highway and work on the road had also commenced.

Criticising the recent foundation-laying ceremony, the MP said the project had already been inaugurated in February 2023 and alleged that conducting another groundbreaking event was an attempt to create a misleading impression among the public. He pointed to a recent social media post by JSW Chairman Sajjan Jindal , stating that the industrialist had acknowledged the cooperation, approvals and support extended by the previous government, thereby confirming the role played by the YSRCP administration in advancing the project.

Avinash Reddy also recalled that before the 2018 elections, a foundation stone for a steel plant had been unveiled without clarity on which company would execute the project. He alleged that claiming credit for a company brought in by the previous government amounted to misleading the people.

The MP further accused Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu of focusing more on criticism of YS Jagan Mohan Reddy than on development issues during a recent public meeting in Jammalamadugu. He also strongly objected to remarks made by local MLA Adinarayana Reddy , saying criticism of the YSR family overlooked the support extended to him in the past.

Referring to the recent damage caused to a statue of former Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy , Avinash Reddy said a police complaint had been lodged and asserted that the statue would be reinstalled.

He further maintained that the governments led by YS Rajasekhara Reddy and YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had played a decisive role in strengthening irrigation infrastructure in Rayalaseema through projects such as Gandikota and Chitra reservoirs and initiatives aimed at improving the utilisation of Krishna river waters. Despite political criticism, he said, the developmental contributions of the previous government would continue to remain part of the region’s growth story.