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

YSRCP chief Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday alleged that Andhra Pradesh 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 Pradesh with no realistic chance of securing its rightful share.

Reddy said 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 CM 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.'' He added that the RLI project aims to lift Krishna River water from the Srisailam reservoir to provide irrigation and improve water availability for farmers in drought-prone Rayalaseema.

''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.

Reddy also criticised Naidu for taking up the construction of the greenfield capital city of Amaravati in the river basin, which required one lakh acres and an estimated investment of up to Rs 2 lakh crore.

Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav dismissed Reddy's criticism, calling it an attempt to ''mask electoral rejection and administrative failures.'' He said Rayalaseema voters had decisively rejected Reddy in the 2024 Assembly elections and accused the opposition leader of shedding ''crocodile tears'' after losing public trust and political credibility in the region.

Yadav added that the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation project had been executed without mandatory approvals, which led to its suspension by regulatory authorities, exposing alleged misgovernance during Reddy's tenure as CM.

He further accused Reddy of ''deflecting responsibility onto the NDA government.''

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)