Rayalaseema's future sacrificed for personal deals, YSRCP accuses TDP led coalition government

Ananthapuram (Andhra Pradesh) [India], January 5 : YSR Congress Party leader and former MLA V. Vishweshwar Reddy strongly condemned Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu for allegedly betraying Rayalaseema by halting the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Project for personal and political gain. Reacting to statements made by Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy on the floor of the Telangana Assembly, where he claimed the project was stopped after discussions with Chandrababu Naidu, the YSRCP leaders said the Chief Minister's "Rayalaseema mask" had completely fallen off.
They said Revanth Reddy's public assertion, along with his readiness for an all-party verification, exposed an unholy nexus that led to the halt of a project vital to Rayalaseema's drinking water and irrigation needs. Terming the move a "death warrant" for Rayalaseema, they demanded that Chandrababu Naidu explain what personal interests compelled him to mortgage the future of a drought-prone region. They questioned why the Chief Minister chose to remain silent on Telangana's upstream projects and the repeated diversions from Srisailam, and why Andhra Pradesh failed to defend its rights before statutory forums.
The leaders recalled that under former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Project was launched with an outlay of about Rs. 3,850 crore to fully utilise allocated waters through the Pothireddypadu Head Regulator, primarily for drinking water. Despite initial hurdles before environmental bodies, the project was pursued in the public interest but was later abandoned by the coalition government, even as Telangana continued with projects such as Palamuru-Rangareddy and Dindi despite penalties.
They warned that the renewed height increase of the Almatti dam by Karnataka, combined with Andhra Pradesh's inaction, would cripple projects such as Handri-Neeva and Galeru-Nagari, pushing Rayalaseema deeper into distress. Chandrababu Naidu prioritising Amaravati commissions over critical drought-mitigation works like Gundrevula reservoir and canal expansions, they said decades of allocated water, nearly 101 TMC, had rarely reached Rayalaseema due to political compromise.
YSRCP leaders called on TDP ministers, MPs, and MLAs from Rayalaseema to either break their silence or resign, warning that people would not forgive those who remained silent as the region's future was destroyed. They asserted that the YSRCP would not tolerate any move that harms Rayalaseema and announced that, if the Lift Irrigation Project is not immediately revived, the party will launch a mass public agitation with farmers and citizens. They reaffirmed that on YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's return to office, the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Project will be restarted and completed on a war footing to safeguard the region's water rights and future.