Andhra Pradesh Minister Nara Lokesh Criticizes Jagan Mohan Reddy’s Rs 222 Crore Air Travel and Rs 500 Crore Palace Expenditure

Amaravati, Dec 2025 : Andhra Pradesh Minister Nara Lokesh on Tuesday accused Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy of spending extravagantly during his tenure, claiming that the CM splurged Rs 500 crore on a palace and Rs 222 crore on air travel over five years.

Speaking through his X account, Lokesh, who handles the Education, Information Technology, and Electronics portfolios, said, “While people struggled for jobs and basic amenities, their Chief Minister was busy spending Rs 500 crore on a palace and Rs 222 crore flying around. We are finally hearing the truth.”

Lokesh, who is the son of TDP president and former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, added, “Andhra Pradesh deserved a vision – they got a vacation instead.”

The minister’s remarks followed a report highlighting that Jagan spent Rs 222 crore on air travel between 2019 and 2024 while serving as the Chief Minister. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) emphasized this contrast by pointing out that Lokesh, in his 18 months as a minister, did not draw a single rupee from the state treasury for helicopters or special flights.

“In 18 months as a minister, Nara Lokesh did not take even a single rupee from the government for helicopters or special flights used for his tours. In 60 months as Chief Minister, Jagan spent Rs 222 crore from the government treasury for helicopters and special flights,” the TDP tweeted.

According to responses to Right to Information (RTI) applications filed by activist Kodamala Suresh Babu of Guntur district, Lokesh personally funded 77 flights to Hyderabad, using his own resources. The TDP called as “blatant lies” any claims suggesting these trips were personal.

“None of these are personal trips. Yet Minister Nara Lokesh financed these tours entirely from his own pocket,” the party stated. “It has been confirmed through RTI responses that Minister Lokesh has not drawn any funds from the Human Resources, IT, Electronics, or Real Time Governance departments, which he manages, for these official tours.”

The TDP also highlighted the breakdown of Jagan Mohan Reddy’s air travel expenditure, citing information provided by Andhra Pradesh Aviation Corporation Ltd (APACL). According to the data, the state spent Rs 222.85 crore on air travel between 2019 and 2024. The annual expenditure included Rs 31.43 crore in 2019-20, Rs 44 crore in 2020-21, Rs 49.45 crore in 2021-22, Rs 47.18 crore in 2022-23, and Rs 50.81 crore in 2023-24.

The spending was categorized as Rs 112.50 crore on fixed-wing aircraft, Rs 87.02 crore on helicopter charges, and Rs 23.31 crore on operational costs, including crew, handling, and maintenance.

Through these figures, the TDP argued that while Nara Lokesh exemplified fiscal discipline and accountability by funding his official travel personally, Jagan Mohan Reddy’s administration displayed excessive extravagance at the cost of public funds.

The controversy has sparked renewed debate over the use of state resources by elected officials, with Lokesh emphasizing that leadership must prioritize the welfare of citizens over personal luxuries and unnecessary expenditure.