Eyebrows are being raised after the last minute change of the venue for the inaugural event of the 100th annual conference of the Indian Economic Association, to the Bible Mission grounds opposite Acharya Nagarjuna University from H.H Deichmann Auditorium on the campus .
President of India Ramnath Kovind is the chief guest at the inaugural event in which Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan and Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu are expected to take part. Being held now in the open grounds facing the National Highway, it has thrown a huge challenge to the security personnel. It is estimated that ₹1.5 crore is being spent on the inaugural alone.
The last minute change of the venue, reportedly at the behest of Chief Minister’s Office, has sparked off speculations over a bizarre superstition being aired since 2014, that any Chief Minister who steps inside the ANU loses his office. In June 2015, Chandrababu Naidu stayed away from the inaugural of the Indian Youth Science Congress.K. Rosaiah is the last CM to visit the ANU in July 31, 2010 and he resigned in November 2010. Former CM Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy visited the ANU in February 2009 to inaugurate the ANU Engineering College. He died later that year.
