TDP Admits Davos Trip Was Just for Timepass?

In the lead-up to attending the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, this January, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had repeatedly emphasized that his trip to the annual summit was aimed at attracting large-scale investments for Andhra Pradesh.

A delegation, led by Naidu and comprising IT and HRD Minister Nara Lokesh, Industries Minister TG Bharat, and other officials, had attended the WEF summit.

Even after returning from Davos, the Chief Minister highlighted the prominent industry leaders, including Microsoft founder Bill Gates, he had met during the summit and reiterated that his primary goal was to attract ₹10 lakh crore in investments for the green energy sector.

However, in an unexpected turn of events, in response to a query raised by YSRCP MLCs in the Legislative Council about the outcome of the Davos summit, Finance Minister Payyavula Keshav stated that the WEF is merely an international platform and not a venue for signing business deals.

Citing extensive reports about Chandrababu Naidu working hard at Davos, Leader of Opposition in the Council Botsa Satyanarayana demanded to know what the government representatives actually accomplished at the summit.

In an attempt to criticize the previous YSRCP regime, Keshav listed the MoUs signed between the State government and various companies in the past nine months. While acknowledging that the State did not secure any investments from the WEF summit, the government did not address questions regarding the expenses incurred by the delegation's visit to Davos.