TDP claimed the luxurious property, located on Rushikonda Hill, was meant to serve as a camp office for Jagan Reddy, who had previously declared Vizag as the capital of Andhra Pradesh.
“Rushikonda Palace is the most luxurious palace in the country. Jagan built this palace with Rs 500 crore people’s money with whose permission? People of AP say that a deep investigation should be done on this,” TDP wrote on X.
“Rushikonda Palace incident alone is enough to know how much good people have done to the state by defeating Jagan. Look at how much effort he had to occupy a hill in Visakha and built a palace with Rs.500 crores of public money!”
Bathtub alone costs Rs 26 lakhs: TDP
TDP claimed that the bathtub installed at the property alone costs Rs 26 lakhs. “For the wife’s wish, a palace worth Rs 500 crores, with a view of the beach and the sea in the north-east. The bathtub alone costs Rs.26 lakhs. Again he made jokes about the poor and beggars and deprived the poor of their homes.”
“When his wife asked him to buy the Beach View Palace, he broke all the rules, wasted hundreds of crores of public money, and now come and tell stories? But what are the pictures of that bathroom, is it so big? What did you actually plan? Who did you sketch for?,” wrote TDP.
“The Italian marble and tiles used in Rushikonda Palace are mind blowing. For the cost per foot of these Italian marbles, a middle-class person can afford a small-sized apartment. This is the beach view palace built by Jagan Reddy in Rushikonda with the materials used for royal prasadas built by heads of state,” said TDP in another tweet, sharing pictures.
Attempts to portray it as Jagan Reddy’s house: YSRCP
YSRCP leader and former minister Gudivada Amarnath said that TDP is attempting to wrongly influence the people of the state. “We have been seeing attempts to change the people of the state since yesterday. It does not make sense to stop looking at how to use it when the Governor, President and other dignitaries come in the coming days and still portray it as YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s house.”
Those in Rushikonda are government buildings, asserted YSRCP. “They are not private property. They do not belong to anyone. These buildings were constructed keeping in mind the priority given to Visakhapatnam by the previous government. It is up to the government how to use them. People are noticing the motives behind going into such government buildings and taking pictures and trying to smear them with distortions. Even since 1995, Chandrababu has been boasting that Visakhapatnam is the financial capital. He has become the chief minister four times so far. Realize that even if a Prime Minister comes to Visakhapatnam, a President comes, a chief minister goes, or people like the Governor go, there is no proper building to host them. Going inside the buildings of Rushikonda Resorts and taking pictures and displaying bile may give you emotional satisfaction, but the people of Visakhapatnam are not doing so!”
In response, TDP asked why it was kept hidden from the public if they were government buildings. “If they are buildings built for the President and Prime Minister, why did they put barbed wire fences these days? Why did you hide it away from people? Why did you hide the courts? Why are you saying that these are tourism buildings, but now that they have been found, it is the President’s building and the Prime Minister’s building? If the buildings were built for the President and the Prime Minister, why did the relatives of Jagan Reddy’s wife go and pray there?”
Emblem of luxury rather than a conventional tourism hub
When TOI visited the facility on Sunday, the first time the site has been opened to visitors, it seemed that the design and development of the buildings appeared to align with the idea of the CM potentially staying and managing affairs from there.
Early reviews suggest the seven-block structure deviates from traditional tourist accommodations. The design features architectural splendor and a level of sophistication reminiscent of a high-end corporate office or a prestigious government building.
The facility, built at nearly Rs 450 crore, might not be suitable as a star hotel in its current form. Specific modifications could be required to convert it into a tourist resort or a private luxury hotel.
Though the complex was developed on a 9.9-acre site on Rushikonda, it now symbolizes luxury more than a typical tourism hub. The blocks feature banquet facilities, state-of-the-art conference halls, wide corridors, and impressive lighting.
Sophistication is evident with premium electrical appliances, luxurious bathroom fittings, and several automated features, some operated by biometric technology. To build this new facility, the previous government demolished the existing structure, which was in excellent condition and generating significant revenue for the government.