Rushkonda Project Chief Refutes Reports of Jagan Owning 500-Cr Palace, Says It's Made For Public

Visakhapatnam: YSRCP Chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy grabbed headlines after reports suggested he got a palatial palace allegedly worth Rs 500 crore constructed in Vishakhapatnam's Rushikonda Hills for his consumption. Such is the grandeur that Insiders say they were gobsmacked by the opulence inside. 

However, when Republic confronted the Director of the Rushikonda Palace project Kanna Babu he said, "It's the government's work. We were asked to do it and we did it. The matter is in the court of law. We had to do (the construction of the property) as per the framework of the norms." On being asked if it was Jagan's pet project, he quipped, "It is made from the government's money, it's public property." The ruling TDP in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday accused Reddy of splurging Rs 500 crore of public money on building a palatial mansion for his use.

However, the YSRCP asserted that the building belongs to the government and projecting it as Reddy's "personal" property was "atrocious". The TDP was referring to the mansion built atop sea-facing Rushikonda hill in the port city of Visakhapatnam, reportedly featuring ultra-expensive amenities. 

“This is the lavish palace built by Jagan Reddy at Rs 500 crore…He extravagantly spent government money. How many more atrocities will get discovered,” the TDP said in a post on X on Sunday, sharing purported pictures from inside the building. 

TDP’s Bheemili MLA G Srinivasa Rao recently visited the mansion, accompanied by a group of people and journalists. “Jagan Reddy built this beach-view palace using royal materials fit for a state head,” the TDP alleged. The party claimed the hilltop house is fitted with up to 200 chandeliers, each one costing up to Rs 15 lakh while the interior design alone reportedly cost Rs 33 crore. Advanced sound system, a very large home theatre screen, 12 bedrooms, imported plants for the garden, and multi-hued illumination are among some of the features of this mansion, it claimed. 

Meanwhile, YSRCP leader and former industries minister G Amarnath alleged that TDP is projecting as if the mansion belongs to Reddy. “They (TDP) are in power and instead of contemplating on how to use those (mansions) for people like the President, Governor or other important persons, projecting them as Jagan’s house is not right,” said Amarnath. He asserted that the buildings belong to the government, not to Reddy or YSRCP. Amaranth observed that projecting them as Reddy’s own properties is "atrocious", he said. Before being ousted in the 2024 polls, Reddy had mentioned several times in the past that he would move to Vizag and operate from there but failed to do so. (with PTI inputs)