"Modi should have associated with Amaravati project": Chandrababu Naidu
Amaravati, Oct 7: Charging the Prime Minister with reneging on promise to financially support building of the new capital of Andhra Pradesh, state Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has said Amaravati project is a national pride and Narendra Modi should have "at least" associated with it.
Naidu, a former BJP ally who quit the NDA early this year over the Centre's refusal to grant special category status to Andhra Pradesh, alleged the saffron party was not associating with the greenfield project due to "political reasons".
Asserting that the capital city is being developed at a faster pace, the chief minister said that any change of government in the state is unlikely to affect the works as a "solid eco-system" has been put in place.
"The Amaravati project is a national pride and I wish the prime minister had associated with it. Why cannot the centre share the pride by getting associated with it? Because of political reasons, they are not able to associate with it," Naidu told PTI.
Modi had laid the foundation stone for the capital city of Amaravati in October 2015 amid much fanfare but "he later went back on his promise to provide funds for the project," he said.
"I developed Hyderabad as an IT hub. Former prime ministers always used to praise the city as a national pride....Why cannot Modi do it?" Naidu said.
On the progress of new capital, the chief minister said roads, office buildings and courts are coming up at a pace never done before.
About Rs 3,400 crore has been spent on the project so far including Rs 1,500 crore from the Centre and Rs 1,000 crore from the neighbouring Telangana.
"There is non-cooperation from the Centre. We are paying them more taxes that what they have given to the capital. We have received only Rs 1,500 crore. Once the capital is made, they will receive Rs 880 crore income in taxes," he said.
Naidu further said he is undeterred by lack of funds and is confident of arranging finances so that the work is not affected.
"I am not comfortable with the finances. But I have the will power. I will develop the city no matter what," he said adding that Amaravati will be developed as a model city that will be bench marked in the top ten cities of the world.
The Andhra Pradesh government has raised Rs 11,300 crore for the project through different means including bonds against the requirement of Rs 48,116 crore.
Asked if any change in government in the state will affect the progress of the project, Naidu said, "An eco-system has been put in place. The project will continue without hurdles for next ten years."
According to the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) Additional Commissioner S Shan Mohan, "We are attracting investments from private. There are 19 projects under PPP mode. This includes schools, marine, commercial malls, and driveways."
"We see these 19 projects as test of viability of the city as an economic hub,"' he added.
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'Ab kya hoga, ye rab jane...': Tharoor takes dig at failed US-Iran talks in Pakistan
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New Delhi (PTI): Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Monday took a swipe at the "failed" US-Iran peace talks in Pakistan with an Urdu couplet, saying only god knows now what will happen.
"Ab kya hoga, ye rab jane; Na woh mane, na ye mane (only god knows what will happen now as both sides did not agree)," Tharoor said on X, tagging a post-talks video clip of US Vice President J D Vance, who led the American delegation at the negotiations in Islamabad.
The United States and Iran failed to reach a peace deal at their historic 21-hour talks in Pakistan, leaving the fate of a tenuous two-week ceasefire in doubt, with both sides attempting to hold each other responsible for the collapse of the negotiations.
अब क्या होगा, ये रब जाने
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) April 13, 2026
ना वो माने, ना ये माने https://t.co/DYrXpa7C8h
Vance said the Iranian side did not accept Washington's terms for ending the war even as the US presented its "final and best offer".
Hours after the talks collapsed, US President Donald Trump said on social media that the negotiations with Tehran failed as "Iran is unwilling to give up its nuclear ambitions".
Trump said the US Navy will actively interdict any vessel in international waters found to have paid tolls to Iran for transiting through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route that handles roughly 20 per cent of global oil and LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas).
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the head of the Iranian negotiation team, said it is for the US to decide whether it can "earn our trust or not".
The Iranian foreign ministry, without elaborating, said the US side resorted to "excessive" and "illegal demands".
The failure to reach an agreement has dimmed the prospect of reopening the Strait of Hormuz to stabilise the global energy marke
