Jagan Accuses Chandrababu of Taking Credit for Bhogapuram Airport, Says YSRCP Laid the Foundation for the Project

Amaravati, July 2026 : With the Bhogapuram Greenfield International Airport set to be inaugurated later this week, former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday accused Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu of claiming credit for a project that, according to him, was executed almost entirely during the YSRCP government’s tenure.

In a strongly worded statement posted on social media platform X, Jagan alleged that while his government carried out the groundwork and execution of the airport project, the present Telugu Desam Party (TDP)-led government was attempting to gain political mileage from it.

“A project built by one but claimed by another—that is the story of Bhogapuram Airport. The work was done by the YSRCP government, while the publicity is being taken by Chandrababu Naidu. Credit without contribution has always been Chandrababu’s brand of politics,” Jagan wrote.

Describing the airport as a landmark infrastructure project that would become a major gateway for North Andhra, the former Chief Minister said he was delighted that the airport was finally ready for inauguration. However, he maintained that the achievements behind the project were being deliberately overlooked.

Jagan questioned Chandrababu Naidu’s contribution to the airport, saying that apart from laying the foundation stone shortly before the 2019 Assembly elections, the TDP government had made little progress on the project.

“Mr. Chandrababu, ask your own conscience what exactly you have done for the Bhogapuram Airport. Other than hurriedly laying a foundation stone just before the elections, what was your actual contribution?” he asked.

According to Jagan, the YSRCP government signed the concession agreement with GMR Airports in June 2020 and completed every major administrative and infrastructure-related milestone required to transform the project into reality.

He listed several key achievements, including land acquisition, rehabilitation and resettlement of displaced families, obtaining statutory approvals and no-objection certificates, security clearances, financial closure, provision of water and power supply, construction of internal roads and completion of essential aeronautical infrastructure.

The YSRCP chief claimed that his government succeeded in completing land acquisition that had remained pending under the previous TDP administration. He added that families displaced from four villages were rehabilitated under the state’s resettlement programme.

Highlighting the financial commitment made by his government, Jagan said the YSRCP administration spent approximately ₹967 crore on land acquisition and rehabilitation, ₹75 crore on water supply infrastructure, ₹134.5 crore on supporting infrastructure, ₹7.29 crore on alternative roads and ₹2.35 crore on a power substation. Altogether, the state invested nearly ₹1,200 crore in facilitating the airport project, he claimed.

Jagan asserted that despite the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the YSRCP government ensured that construction gathered momentum. By the time the 2024 Assembly elections were held, runway development had reached an advanced stage and work on the passenger terminal was progressing rapidly.

He recalled that his government had publicly announced that flight operations from Bhogapuram would commence by June 2026 and argued that the airport’s readiness today was the direct outcome of the work undertaken during the YSRCP regime.

“We completed the approvals, obtained every required clearance and created all the necessary infrastructure. That is why the airport is ready today,” he said, adding that the present government had merely inherited a project that was already nearing completion.

The former Chief Minister also criticised the state government over inadequate road connectivity between Visakhapatnam and the new airport. He said passengers would continue to face inconvenience because the promised high-speed access road had not progressed.

Jagan recalled that during the airport’s foundation stone ceremony, his government had persuaded the Centre to sanction a 55-kilometre, six-lane highway, estimated to cost ₹6,300 crore, to provide seamless connectivity between Visakhapatnam city and Bhogapuram Airport.

He pointed out that Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari had announced the project and continues to hold the same portfolio.

“Your party is in power both at the Centre and in the State. Yet, even after two years, there has been virtually no progress on the proposed highway. Passengers travelling to the airport are still forced to endure significant hardship,” Jagan alleged.

Concluding his remarks, the YSRCP president urged Chandrababu Naidu to stop claiming credit for projects executed by previous governments and instead focus on completing pending infrastructure works.

“At nearly 80 years of age, it is time to give up the habit of seeking recognition without doing the work and appropriating the efforts of others,” Jagan said.