Vizianagaram, Aug. 1 -- Andhra Pradesh Minister Nara Lokesh on Friday launched a sharp attack on the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) and its president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, accusing them of belittling North Andhra and questioning the need for an airport in the region.

Speaking at the inauguration of the Bhogapuram International Airport in Vizianagaram, Lokesh recalled that critics had mocked the project by asking, "What is the need for an airport in a place where even an RTC red bus does not operate?"

He said they had looked down upon North Andhra and insulted its people, and the Bhogapuram International Airport is the answer to those remarks.

He declared that the place once ridiculed as one where even a red bus would not...