MA Yusuff Ali, known for expanding his business empire from the Gulf into India, is back in the headlines—this time for his renewed interest in Andhra Pradesh. The Lulu Group, which already runs a string of shopping malls and food processing units across India, is reportedly reviving plans for a mall in Visakhapatnam.
But the project has hit familiar turbulence. Political winds, old promises, and a patch of disputed land are all back in play.
The idea isn’t entirely new. Back in 2017, under then Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party (TDP) government, the group was allotted 13.83 acres of land in Visakhapatnam. The land was leased for 99 years, apparently with the hope that the project would generate thousands of jobs.
But when Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy came to power in 2019, the deal fell apart. His government cancelled the land allocation, and the Lulu Group stepped away from the state entirely.
Now, with TDP back in power, the old project is seemingly back on track. Fresh discussions have taken place, and land has reportedly been allotted again.
Not everyone is thrilled about the mall’s second innings. The Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPM, has come out against the move. Local councillor B. Ganga Rao recently led a protest march, voicing concern over the location of the project.
Their key objection? The site may fall under the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ), and according to them, the government could be bending the rules. The party also claims that promises of creating 15,000 jobs are exaggerated and misleading.
So far, Jagan Mohan Reddy’s YSR Congress Party hasn’t strongly opposed the land deal, but CPM seems to be picking up where they left off.
After earlier walking away from Andhra, what made Lulu reconsider? Reports suggest it was a personal invite from Chandrababu Naidu himself. Since returning to office, Naidu appears to have directly reached out to Yusuff Ali, encouraging the group to revive its plans.
Last month, senior officials from the Lulu Group visited Andhra Pradesh and held discussions with state authorities. And it doesn’t stop at Visakhapatnam—projects in Amaravati and Tirupati are also reportedly on the cards.
