Andhra Pradesh Minister for Education and IT, Nara Lokesh, has thrown a direct challenge to YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, asking him to either prove the allegations made against him or apologise to the youth of the state.

In a sharp statement, Lokesh said, “If Jagan can prove the corruption charges against me, I am ready to resign from my minister post. But if he cannot, he must publicly apologise to the youth of Andhra Pradesh.” He accused Jagan of making baseless accusations and avoiding accountability.

Responding to claims that prime government land in Visakhapatnam was handed over at throwaway prices, Lokesh clarified the facts. He said the government allocated 3.5 acres in IT Park Hill-3 at ₹1 crore per acre. 56.36 acres in Kapuluppada at ₹50 lakh per acre. He dismissed the claim that land was given at ₹1 per acre to the Company as completely false and misleading.

Nara Lokesh criticised the previous YSRCP government’s tenure, saying that not a single new company was brought into the state during Jagan’s five-year rule, and existing businesses were driven away to other states. He also mocked Jagan, saying, “He cannot tolerate the fact that investment is now flowing into Andhra Pradesh and young people are getting job opportunities. Maybe using some Eno would give him relief.”

Lokesh reiterated that under the current government, the focus is on creating 20 lakh jobs. He said more investments are coming in, and development work is actively ongoing. To counter what he called “fake statements” by Jagan, Lokesh also released a video on the social media platform X, highlighting government orders and project facts. Finally, Lokesh ended his press briefing by asking: “Is Jagan ready to accept my challenge or not?” .