VIJATAWADA: YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leaders have launched a fierce attack on the ruling coalition government, centring their criticism on the stalled Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Project, which they allege has been deliberately halted under Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu’s watch.
Legislative Council Opposition Leader Botsa Satyanarayana, speaking in Visakhapatnam, accused the government of indirectly admitting guilt by remaining silent on Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s Assembly statement that Naidu himself stalled the project.
“By not responding, the Andhra Pradesh government has conceded the truth,” Botsa charged, adding that the administration has failed farmers, students, women, and other sections of society. .
YSRCP general secretary Gadikota Srikanth Reddy, addressing the media in Hyderabad, went further, calling Naidu’s actions a ‘death warrant’ for drought-prone Rayalaseema.
He dismissed claims of pending clearances, insisting that all approvals had been secured earlier., and alleged Naidu sacrificed the state’s interests out of fear and self-interest.
Highlighting the project’s design to draw 3 tmcft of water daily from Srisailam, Srikanth Reddy warned that any attempt to turn Rayalaseema into a desert would be fiercely resisted. He urged local MLAs to resign if they cannot defend the region’s rights.