‘Not easy to sail in 2 boats’: TDP MP Jayadev Galla on taking a break from politics
TDP MP Jayadev Galla is also chairman and managing director of Amara Raja Energy & Mobility Limited, the firm that makes batteries under the Amaron brand name
NEW DELHI: Telegu Desam Party (TDP) member of Parliament Jayadev Galla, who announced his decision to take a break from politics and focus on his business, on Monday heaped praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in what he described as his final speech in the Lok Sabha.

Galla said he belonged to a family that has a legacy of fighting for people. “(But) it’s not easy to sail on two boats in one go — to be in public life and continue as an entrepreneur. I’ve decided to give a pause to my political life,” said Galla, a two-time MP as he participated in a debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address.
He is also chairman and managing director of Amara Raja Energy & Mobility Limited, which has a net worth of ₹5,300 crore and manufactures batteries under the Amaron brand name.
The 57-year-old Guntur MP, who listed the milestones in his journey as a politician and his achievements, said his “commitment and resolve to serve the nation” remained steadfast despite this move and that he would contribute to the country’s development by investing, innovating, creating employment opportunities and generating revenue and wealth for the nation.
“My group of companies is providing jobs to about 17,000 people and undertaking various welfare measures for them and their family members,” he said.
Galla, who studied politics and economics at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, is the son of former state minister Galla Aruna Kumari. His maternal grandfather Paturi Rajagopala Naidu was a freedom fighter and the political mentor of Chandrababu Naidu.
Galla turned into a sharp critic of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the breakup between the N Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP and the BJP in Andhra Pradesh in 2018 and opened the party’s attacks on the central government.
In his final speech on Monday, Galla struck a more conciliatory tone, praising the BJP-led government for its achievements, particularly the establishment of the Ram Mandir, which he said “realises the 500-year-old dream of all Hindus”.
“Even though we are not a part of the NDA, I cannot resist the temptation to praise the government under the stewardship of Shri Modiji over the last ten years—how he has taken the country to new heights and we are on the verge of the third-largest economy in the world,” he said.
He also requested PM Modi to either give a special category status to Andhra Pradesh or extend other benefits and incentives, which are available for the northeastern states, to Andhra as a stop-gap arrangement for 10 years.
According to a PTI report on January 28 when the MP first announced his decision to focus on his business, Galla said that he was questioned twice by the Enforcement Directorate about certain issues after he raised them in Parliament.
