Opposition status should be earned by votes, not demanded: Andhra CM Naidu

Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday sarcastically said he has "never seen a leader like YSRCP chief Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy", who is demanding the status of leader of the opposition in the assembly to attend its proceedings.

Naidu said the status of leader of the opposition is not granted by leaders, but by the people through their votes. His comments came at a time when the YSRCP has boycotted the ongoing assembly session.

"When people vote, and when a party wins 10 per cent of the seats, that party will get the opposition status. When we have a majority, we will form the government," Naidu said addressing the House, while congratulating Undi TDP MLA K Raghurama Krishna Raju, on his election as deputy speaker of the assembly.

"Dictating terms and demanding positions will not work in democracy," the CM said, emphasising the need to "respect democracy at all times".

Naidu said Reddy's 'personality and thinking pattern' must be observed for display of such 'demanding' behaviour. He once again compared Reddy to slain Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, alleging "similarities" between the two.

The TDP supremo assured the House that the government would take strict action against anyone involved in the selling or cultivation of marijuana in the state.

Meanwhile, IT Minister Nara Lokesh, in the Legislative Council, accused YSRCP leaders of insulting his mother, N Bhuvaneswari, during their government's tenure (2019-2024). He said neither he nor any TDP members retaliated similarly. "We never spoke about Jagan Mohan Reddy's family. Should I remain silent when they insult my mother in the assembly,? Lokesh questioned YSRCP MLCs.

Lokesh said after his mother was insulted, TDP supremo Chandrababu Naidu stopped attending the Assembly proceedings in 2022. Before that, Chandrababu Naidu had been regularly taking part in the House business.

"Naidu attended the House every day, fighting alone like a lion. He couldn't bear the insult to my mother and boycotted the assembly," Lokesh added. He further asked whether he should sit quietly after his mother was insulted. "Are we not human beings?"

The IT Minister also pointed out that YSRCP leaders who insulted his mother were rewarded with election tickets in 2024 but they lost. He argued that by allotting tickets to such leaders, the party endorsed disrespect to his mother.

Lokesh also expressed concern over opposition MLAs skipping the House proceedings when they had a strength of 10 members besides Reddy.

Later, the Chief Minister informed the House that the NDA government of TDP, BJP and Janasena is aiming to transform the southern state into a global investment destination.

Wooing investors, the CM noted that a senior official will facilitate investments of over Rs 1,000 crore. Similarly, Naidu said the southern state is working towards a goal to attract Rs 30 lakh crore investments. Policies would be formulated to attract Fortune 500 companies as well.

Underscoring that young people are an asset, Naidu said enabling them to get jobs will empower them to create wealth while the government is working towards setting up 22 lakh MSMEs.

Likewise, he said a corpus fund of Rs 500 crore has been set aside for innovation hubs, along with the aim of creating 20 lakh jobs in the next five years.

The state has good scope as regards the food processing sector since Rayalaseema and coastal regions are hubs for horticulture and aquaculture respectively.