VIJAYAWADA: Minister for Water Resources Devineni Umamaheswara Rao has dared YSRC party national general secretary V Vijayasai Reddy to disclose the files on Polavaram project with the latter.
Speaking to mediapersons in Vijayawada on Saturday, he advised the YSRC Rajya Sabha member to come before the media with details instead of limiting himself to tweets. “The person, who is accused of economic offences involving several crores of rupees and wanted by CBI and ED in 13 cases, is trying to scare us. Let him know, we do not fear such people,” he said.
Taking exception to the ‘threatening tone’ employed by the YSRC leader in a tweet, while claiming that he has Polavaram project files given to him by officers and the contractor, the minister said that the very fact that official files are in possession of Vijaysai Reddy is enough to put him behind bars. Stating that economic terrorism is more dangerous than terrorism, Devineni said the YSRC leader is an economic terrorist and his place is in Tihar jail. “There is no place for such people in AP,” he said.
The minister claimed that under his supervision, 62 irrigation projects in the State were put on fast-track and Pattiseema project was completed. “It has fetched Rs 44,000 crore to the State. It is we who stored 51 TMC of water in Somasila and Kandaleru reservoirs,” he said.
He lashed out at the YSRC for its comments on the Chief Minister’s letter to the Election Commission. “When the Centre is not releasing Rs 4,546 crore spent on Polavaram Project, YSRC leaders have not responded,” he pointed out. The minister said all those YSRC leaders who are making noises now will not be able to say anything after the day of counting on May 23.
He claimed that Vijayasai Reddy is negotiating the terms for merger of the party with BJP at the national level if the cases against him and Jagan Mohan Reddy are withdrawn. He questioned Jagan as to how he proposes to work with KCR, who has filed cases against Polavaram project in the Supreme Court.
Pointing out at IMD reports of cyclone threat to Andhra coast, he asked who will review and monitor the preparedness if not the Chief Minister.