Telugu Desam Party (TDP) national president N. Chandrababu Naidu on August 5 (Saturday) fumed at the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government in Andhra Pradesh for committing atrocities against those questioning its “corrupt and unjust rule.”
Addressing a public meeting at the temple town of Srikalahasti, near here, Mr. Naidu said that the ‘Yuddha Bheri’ programme of the TDP was “to expose the corruption in the irrigation and drinking water projects in the State.”
“I shall not rest till I bring the Godavari waters to the Handri-Neeva Sujala Sravanthi and the Galeru-Nagari Sujala Sravanthi projects in the Rayalaseema region,” Mr. Naidu vowed.
The former Chief Minister alleged that the irrigation projects did not witness any progress in the last four years.
“The contracts pertaining to the Rayalaseema projects have been awarded to the company of Energy Minister Peddireddi Ramachandra Reddy. But there is no progress anywhere,” Mr. Naidu said, and alleged that “after Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, it is Mr. Ramachandra Reddy who is looting the State.”
The TDP supremo alleged that as many as 1,147 water tanks had been encroachments in Chittoor district.
The TDP government had allocated funds for several irrigation projects, but they were shelved by the YSRCP government, Mr. Naidu alleged.
There was absolutely no progress in works pertaining to Balaji Reservoir, Venugopal Sagar, and Mallemadugu projects, he deplored.
Appeal to police
Appealing to the police personnel not to fall a prey to the machinations of the ruling party leaders, Mr. Naidu said, “All the problems of the police personnel will be solved once the TDP comes to power in the State. The police personnel are not being paid their TA and DA for the last several years.”
Terming the violence at Punganur as atrocious, Mr. Naidu said he would not be cowed by the YSRCP government’s arm-twisting tactics.
Mr. Naidu alleged that YSRCP’s Srikalahasti legislator B. Madhusudhan Reddy was involved in various nefarious activities.
Earlier, Mr. Naidu visited the Balaji Reservoir site, near Renigunta.
Later, he addressed the party cadres, where Mr. Naidu made a PowerPoint presentation on the status of water projects in the State, and the vision of the TDP on the way forward.
Meanwhile, tension prevailed for a brief while in Srikalahasti when a group of youth tried to remove the banners put up by the TDP to welcome Mr. Naidu. However, the police intervened and brought the situation under control.