VIJAYAWADA: TDP Politburo member Somireddy Chandra Mohan Reddy on Tuesday criticised YSRCP leaders for allegedly misleading the public on Rayalaseema irrigation projects and politicising the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme. He said the party, which failed to execute any major irrigation projects during its five-year tenure, had no right to question the NDA coalition government’s efforts to develop the region.
Addressing the media at the TDP headquarters in Mangalagiri, Somireddy said YSRCP leaders should first conduct a self-review meeting at the Tadepalli “palace” and explain what they had done for Rayalaseema between 2019 and 2024 before criticising the present government’s development initiatives. He alleged that the opposition was attempting to create a false narrative by blaming the TDP-led government for issues that arose during its own tenure.
Referring to the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme, Somireddy asserted that the project was not halted due to any decision taken by the TDP government.
He pointed out that the National Green Tribunal (NGT), in October 2020 during the YSRCP regime, directed that work on the project should not proceed until the required environmental clearances were obtained.
He said the YSRCP government remained in office for nearly four years after the NGT order and had ample opportunity to resolve the issue and take the project forward. Instead, it failed to take effective steps and was now trying to shift the blame onto others, he alleged.