Rayalaseema project row: Jagan says CM Naidu opposed RLI, insulted regional sentiment

Tadepalli: Former Chief Minister and YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday strongly condemned the remarks made by the Chief Minister and Irrigation Minister on the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation (RLI) project.

He alleged that they had hurt the sentiments of the Rayalaseema region and exposed the ruling coalition’s ‘betrayal’ of public interests.

‘Self-interest over public welfare’

Addressing the media at Tadepalli, YS Jagan described CM N Chandrababu Naidu as a leader who prioritises self-interest over public welfare and accused him of misleading all sections of society through ‘blatant lies, propaganda and credit chori.’

He alleged that the RLI project was consistently opposed during Chandrababu’s tenure, even as neighbouring Telangana was allowed to draw more than its due share of water from the Srisailam project.

YS Jagan said the statements branding RLI as a ‘waste’ reflected a betrayal of Rayalaseema’s interests, adding that similar remarks made by the Telangana Chief Minister on the floor of the Assembly stood as testimony to this alleged betrayal.

‘CM Naidu wanted to stall RLI project’

He pointed out that during Chandrababu’s tenure, Telangana expanded infrastructure to draw and store water from Srisailam, lifting nearly 8 TMC of water daily between the 777 and 825 feet levels.

In contrast, he said, Andhra Pradesh’s requirement could only be met through the RLI project, which aims to draw 3 TMC of water at the 800 feet level. He alleged that Chandrababu influenced party cadres to approach the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to stall the project, while Telangana ignored NGT notices and went ahead with multiple lift irrigation projects.

He further alleged that Chandrababu did not attend NGT hearings, indicating indifference to Rayalaseema’s water needs.

YS Jagan claimed that it was only during the YSRCP government’s tenure that corrective measures were taken to ensure reservoirs reached full capacity, including enhancement of the GNNS capacity, completion of the Owk tunnels and filling of Gandikota, Chitravati and other reservoirs to benefit Rayalaseema, Nellore and parts of Prakasam district.

He also alleged corruption in contract allocations during Chandrababu’s tenure, claiming that works were awarded without bids for kickbacks.

‘Why is CM Naidu taking credit for Bhogapuram Airport?’

On the Bhogapuram Airport project, he accused the Chief Minister of taking credit for groundwork and clearances obtained during the YSRCP regime.

Jagan calls CM Naidu ‘dumb’ for speaking about the Bhogapuram international airport. “It was during the YSRCP regime that the entire land permissions, NOCs has been acquired for the Bhogapuram International Airport. We spent Rs 960 crore on the permissions. He is so dumb that by the time the airport is ready, we have taken permissions for a 6-lane road. Where is the question of Chandrababu Naidu taking the credit?” said Jagan.

‘AP govt driving away investments’

Refuting claims that industries left Andhra Pradesh during his tenure, YS Jagan said several industrial groups were driven away by the present coalition due to alleged harassment and high commissions.

He accused the government of spreading false propaganda on investments, employment and industrial growth, and alleged that prime land was allotted to real estate firms at throwaway prices.

Highlighting public dissatisfaction, he said farmers, students, women, employees and the unemployed were all being ‘cheated’ by the coalition government.

He alleged that despite promises of no power tariff hikes, electricity charges were increased, imposing a burden of Rs 20,135 crore on consumers. He also cited hikes in registration charges, road cess and toll fees, alleging widespread corruption across sectors such as land, sand, liquor, gambling and ration distribution.

‘Welfare calendar vs loan calendar’

Comparing borrowings, Jagan said the YSRCP government raised Rs 3.32 lakh crore over five years and disbursed Rs 2.73 lakh crore through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), whereas the present government had raised Rs 3.02 lakh crore in less than two terms without clarity on utilisation.

He remarked that while the YSRCP followed a ‘welfare calendar,’ the current government was following a ‘loan calendar.’

Defending the move to approach the court against the privatisation of medical colleges, he said the collection of one crore signatures reflected the people’s mandate and should be taken to its logical conclusion.