Lokesh Says Amara Raja Deserves an Apology, Invites Firm To Invest in AP Again
Reacting to the inauguration of Amara Raja's new Customer Qualification Plant in Telangana, Lokesh said Andhra Pradesh owed an apology to Amara Raja chairman Galla Jayadev and his family.
Amaravati: Education, IT and electronics minister Nara Lokesh on Thursday said Andhra Pradesh owes an apology to the Amara Raja Group for the way the previous YSRC regime allegedly treated it.
“This had resulted in AP lost a historic industrial opportunity after the company shifted its ₹9,500-crore lithium-ion project to Telangana,” the minister pointed out.
Reacting to the inauguration of Amara Raja's Customer Qualification Plant along the Divitipalli Giga Corridor in Telangana's Mahabubnagar district, Lokesh said the state government remains open to any enterprise that Amara Raja wants to open in Andhra Pradesh.
In a post on X, the minister described Amara Raja as one of Andhra Pradesh's greatest industrial success stories. He underlined that the Chittoor-based company had created world-class manufacturing facilities, generated thousands of jobs, and spread the state's name to global markets.
"The harassment your company endured under the previous government should never have happened. An entrepreneur who chose to build (industry) in his home state deserved encouragement, not intimidation," Lokesh said, while expressing regret over the circumstances that forced the company to seek expansion outside Andhra Pradesh.
Lokesh said the NDA government is committed to rebuilding investor confidence. He assured Amara Raja that "our doors, and our hearts, will always remain open."
Amara Raja, established by the Galla family with the objective of creating employment opportunities in Chittoor district, has grown into one of India's leading battery manufacturers with a significant global presence.
However, during the YSRC government, the company became embroiled in disputes after the then state government moved to reclaim about 253 acres of the industrial land allotted to Amara Raja. Closure notices had been issued by the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board to its battery plants. The reported disruptions in power and water supply to the company drew national attention.
The company subsequently shifted its proposed ₹9,500-crore Lithium-ion Giga Corridor project to Telangana. The newly inaugurated Customer Qualification Plant is part of that project. It is expected to generate thousands of jobs and substantial tax revenue for the neighbouring state.
Lokesh said the episode underscores the industrial setbacks suffered by Andhra Pradesh in recent years. He reaffirmed NDA government's resolve to restore the state's image as a preferred investment destination.