It is well known that the Andhra Pradesh government went to the World Economic Forum (WEF) held in Davos, Switzerland, with the slogan “Brand AP.” Along with CM Chandrababu Naidu, the delegation included IT Minister Nara Lokesh, Industries Minister T.G. Bharat, and several other officials. The team spent four days in Davos, during which they also held several meetings in Zurich, explaining the investment opportunities in Andhra Pradesh. They claimed to have successfully achieved their goals.
However, while other states made significant agreements for investments in Davos, the opposition YSRCP criticized Chandrababu’s team, claiming that they failed to bring in even a single rupee of investment. In response, Chandrababu and his team clarified that their primary objective in attending Davos was not to sign investment deals but to showcase the opportunities for investment in Andhra Pradesh to various countries and companies. They further stated that Davos should not be seen merely as a place for signing investment agreements, but rather as a venue for exploring investment opportunities.
Recently, TDP’s young leader and Union Minister of Civil Aviation, K. Ram Mohan Naidu, made an attempt to explain what transpired in Davos. He acknowledged that Maharashtra and Telangana had indeed secured investments during the event. He pointed out that Mumbai for Maharashtra and Hyderabad for Telangana had emerged as prominent “brands.” However, he highlighted that, despite the events in Davos, Andhra Pradesh had already attracted investments worth ₹6.33 lakh crore over the past seven months, independent of the Davos trip.
Ram Mohan stated that while Maharashtra and Telangana had to go all the way to Davos to secure investments, Andhra Pradesh managed to attract more investments without having to travel there. The reason for this, he emphasized, is the leadership of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, who has become the “brand” for the state. Just as Mumbai and Hyderabad are brands for Maharashtra and Telangana, respectively, Chandrababu has emerged as the brand for Andhra Pradesh, which is why investments are naturally flowing into the state.
He also acknowledged that explaining the investment opportunities in Andhra Pradesh to the global companies attending Davos was important, and that was one of the key reasons why Chandrababu decided to visit the event.