Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and YSRCP chief Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy recently ignited a political storm with his strong criticism of the Amaravati capital project. He labeled the development as 'insane,' 'financially unviable,' and 'a cash cow' benefiting vested interests. Jagan claimed the capital is being built unsafely in a river basin and even called for Supreme Court intervention on the matter. These controversial statements, made around January 8, 2026, coincided with significant political developments where current Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on January 7, 2026, in New Delhi to seek statutory status for Amaravati as the permanent state capital. In the wake of Jagan's remarks, former cabinet minister Perni Nani stepped in, attempting to perform 'damage control.' Nani suggested that Jagan's comments were being misinterpreted and misreported, asserting that the YSRCP chief merely questioned the practicality of constructing a capital so close to river banks, challenging if Chandrababu Naidu and his family would build their own offices in such locations. However, the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and its leaders swiftly condemned Jagan's stance. Municipal Administration Minister P. Narayana strongly refuted Jagan's allegations, accusing him of spreading 'false propaganda' by misrepresenting Amaravati's location as a riverbed and misleading the public due to a lack of understanding of the capital's master plan. TDP spokesperson Neelayapalem Vijay Kumar further alleged that Jagan's comments were a deliberate attempt to stall the Centre's move to grant statutory status to Amaravati and to scare away potential investors interested in the state's development. This ongoing verbal spat highlights the deep-seated political divide and ideological clashes over the future and development strategy for Amaravati, a critical issue for Andhra Pradesh.