YSRCP chief claims Naidu 'betrayed' people by undermining Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation project

YSRCP chief Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday alleged that Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had ''betrayed'' all sections of society by undermining the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation project.

Addressing a press conference at the YSRCP central office in Tadepalli, Reddy accused the Naidu-led coalition government of ''spreading falsehoods'' about the project, hurting the sentiments of the people of Rayalaseema and placing ''political self-interest above public welfare.'' ''By undermining the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation project, Naidu has betrayed every section of the people,'' Reddy claimed.

He alleged that during Naidu's previous tenure between 2014 and 2019, Telangana expanded infrastructure at Srisailam to draw excess water, leaving Andhra with no realistic chance of securing its rightful share.

Reddy claimed that the RLI project was conceived as the only viable solution to lift three TMC of water at the 800-foot level from Srisailam to address chronic drought in the Rayalaseema region.

He further alleged that Naidu had encouraged legal hurdles by influencing cases in the National Green Tribunal against the RLI project, while remaining indifferent as Telangana ignored notices and expanded its lift irrigation projects.

The former chief minister said corrective measures taken during the YSRCP government between 2019 and 2024 ensured reservoirs reached full capacity, benefiting Rayalaseema, Nellore, and parts of Prakasam districts.

Reddy also accused the NDA coalition government of rampant corruption, claiming it had taken credit for projects such as the Bhogapuram airport and driven industries away through commissions and harassment.

The project aims to lift Krishna River water from the Srisailam reservoir to provide irrigation and improve water availability for farmers in the drought-prone Rayalaseema region.

''All sections of people—farmers, students, women, employees, and the unemployed—are being cheated through hikes in power tariffs, registration charges, and unchecked corruption,'' he alleged.

Contrasting his tenure with the current dispensation, Reddy said the YSRCP government had followed a welfare calendar through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), while alleging that the NDA coalition government was running the state on a loan-driven model without accountability.

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