TIRUPATI: Lambasting TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu for making visits to irrigation project sites in Rayalaseema, Minister for Energy Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy said Naidu has no moral right to talk about irrigation projects in the backward region as he failed to provide water to his Kuppam Assembly constituency despite being the Chief Minister for 14 years.
Terming Naidu’s visit to irrigation projects a ‘Yedupu Yatra’, which he is undertaking unable to digest the development taken up by Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy in the region, Peddireddy challenged Naidu for an open debate in Kuppam on the development of Rayalaseema during the previous TDP regime and the present YSRC government.
Addressing a press conference in Tirupati on Tuesday, Peddireddy alleged that Naidu failed to bring and construct a single irrigation project to Chittoor district, whereas Jagan devised plans to construct Avulapalli, Nethiguntapalli and Mudiveedu projects to draw water from Gandikota reservoir to meet the drinking and irrigation needs of Thamballapalle, Punganur, Piler and Madanapalle constituencies.
He accused Naidu of stalling the permissions for the proposed projects by filing petitions against them in the apex court. He described Naidu as the mastermind behind stalling the works of the Palem reservoir in the Kuppam constituency by bringing a stay order against the project.
“Naidu deceived the people of Kuppam by promising to give water through the Handri-Neeva scheme and failed to fulfil the promise for seven consecutive terms,” Peddireddy remarked, adding, “Although former Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy finished 95 per cent of works of Handri-Neeva scheme, Naidu failed to complete the remaining 5 per cent of works and provide water to Kuppam constituency during 2014-19.” He asserted that the YSRC government would complete the Handri-Neeva scheme in a couple of months and fill all tanks and provide drinking and irrigation water to Kuppam.