Don’t provoke TS, Byreddy tells Naidu, Jagan

“It’s not possible to take up irrigation projects in Rayalaseema without neighbouring State’s cooperation”

: Rayalaseema Parirakshana Samithi president Byreddy Ramakrishna Reddy here on Thursday slammed Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Opposition leader Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy for opposing the Palamuru-Ranga Reddy and Dindi lift-irrigation projects in Telangana, as they would affect the irrigation interests of Krishna delta, but not considering the effect on Rayalaseema region.

“Don’t provoke the Telangana Government by terming the Palamuru and Dindi projects illegal, as the Gundrevula project, Siddheswaram barrage and Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme works in Rayalaseema cannot go ahead without the cooperation of Telangana,” Mr. Rajasekhara Reddy said at a media conference.

Questioning the rationale behind Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy’s decision to stage a three-day protest in Kurnool from May 16, on projects that would affect Krishna delta, the RPS leader advised him to withdraw the protest plan. He wondered why Mr. Jagan was demanding a railway zone at Visakhapatnam, rather than at Tirupati or Guntakal.

‘Number game’

The Chief Minister as well as the Opposition leader, who hailed from Rayalaseema, were obsessed with coastal Andhra, which has almost two-thirds of MLAs in the State. He charged both Mr. Chandrababu Naidu and Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy with playing the “number game” neglecting Rayalaseema region, which merely has 52 MLAs.

The TDP, YSR Congress, BJP and Congress were focussing on Rayalaseema as his 73-day-old Rayalaseema Chaitanya Yatra was evoking a good response from the people in Kurnool district, Mr. Byreddy claimed. The Congress has no right to oppose Palamuru and Dindi projects as a G.O. was issued by the Kiran Kumar Reddy Cabinet, when K. Jayasuryaprakash Reddy was Union Minister and Mr. Raghuveera Reddy was Minister in AP, he said.

Mr. Chandrababu Naidu should hold discussions and enter into an agreement with Telangana government, as its cooperation was needed to take up the Gundrevula project, Siddheswaram barrage and Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme works, the RPS president. Rayalaseema was the worst sufferer of bifurcation of the State and its projects were hanging in the air, he asserted.

While coastal Andhra was benefiting from Polavaram, Pulichintala, Pattiseema, Nagarjunasagar, Krishna barrage and Srisailam reservoir, Rayalaseema people had to be content with cool water centres, buttermilk sacchets and soak pits, Mr. Byreddy said. He advised the BJP leaders to lead a delegation to Prime Minister on the issue.