BJD vs BJP over 'shifting' of steel plant to Andhra Pradesh

A war of words has broken out between the opposition BJD and the BJP after Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu laid the foundation stone on March 23 for a ₹1.36 lakh crore steel plant in Anakapalli district, to be developed in two phases.

The BJD claims the project was originally planned for Kendrapara in Odisha but has now moved out. "It is a sad and shameful development that the ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel plant, once planned for Odisha, is now being shifted to Andhra Pradesh," senior BJD leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sasmit Patra told ET.

Odisha Industries Minister Sampad Chandra Swain dismissed the allegations, saying the company is free to invest in any state and that its Odisha plans remain on track. "The Kendrapara project is awaiting environmental clearance and has not been shelved," he said, adding that raw materials for the Andhra plant would come from Chhattisgarh, not Odisha.


The BJD, however, continued to question the move, alleging that the "double-engine" model was diverting resources from BJP-ruled states to those governed by NDA allies, and accused the state government of failing to safeguard Odisha's industrial interests.