YSR Congress party president and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday made explosive comments against senior actor and TDP MLA Nandamuri Balakrishna, describing as a “drunkard” and calling state assembly speaker Ch Ayyanna Patrudu as “brainless.”
He was reacting to the comments made by Balakrishna in the state assembly, calling him (Jagan) as a ‘psycho’ and denigrating megastar Chiranjeevi. The comments sparked a major uproar in political and film circles.
During an interaction with the media, Jagan hit back fiercely, questioning the decorum and conduct of the TDP legislator.
“What was he supposed to talk about in the assembly, and what did he actually say?” Jagan asked angrily.
The YSRCP chief said Balakrishna came fully drunk to the state assembly and spoke nonsense, unbecoming of a legislator.
“How was a drunk person allowed inside the assembly? What was the Speaker doing? Does he have brains?” he asked, calling it a “disgrace to the House.”
He said Balakrishna’s “mental condition was evident from his speech” and suggested the MLA should “introspect on his psychological health.”
In the same interaction, Jagan also spoke at length about the controversial Rushikonda buildings in Visakhapatnam — a subject of political debate for months.
He clarified that the structures were not luxury hotels, as alleged, but tourism resorts developed to enhance Visakhapatnam’s prestige.
“We built them with world-class technology and infrastructure. These are tourism assets, not private properties,” he said.
Jagan also defended his government’s track record, noting that two of his five years in office were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, yet the administration pursued its developmental goals.
He pointed out that a TTD temple had been constructed near Rushikonda and that the Union government had been persuaded to clear a special corridor from Rushikonda to the Bhogapuram airport.
Turning his attention to TDP chief and chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Jagan accused him of exaggerating his role in Hyderabad’s growth.
“After 2004, Chandrababu had no role in Hyderabad’s development,” Jagan asserted.
He credited his late father Y S Rajasekhara Reddy for key infrastructure like the PV Expressway, the Metro plan, the Shamshabad airport, and IT expansion.
He also acknowledged that K Chandrasekhar Rao’s decade-long rule had made Hyderabad a national hub in multiple sectors.
Jagan also claimed credit for Google’s data centre project in Visakhapatnam, noting that while Adani Group’s investment and environmental concerns had drawn debate, the project aligned with the state’s long-term technological goals in AI and quantum computing.
“It began under our government, and I welcome its establishment in Andhra Pradesh,” he said.