Harish Rao exposes Chandrababu Naidu’s lies on water sharing

Says the AP Chief Minister had written multiple letters to Central Water Commission seeking to stop projects proposed by Telangana government on Krishna and Godavari rivers

Siddipet: Former Minister and senior BRS leader T Harish Rao on Wednesday exposed the lies of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who had claimed that he always supported the Kaleshwaram project and that he saw AP and Telangana as his two eyes.

Terming his statement as baseless, Harish Rao said Naidu had written multiple letters to the Central Water Commission (CWC) and other central organisations seeking to stop the Kaleshwaram project and other irrigation projects proposed by the Telangana government on Krishna and Godavari rivers.

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Stating that Naidu was trying to appease the people of Telangana and the government as he was preparing to take up the Godavari-Banakacherla project, Harish Rao said Naidu was planning to divert 200 TMCft of water from Godavari to Penna basin, which was objectionable. Rao demanded that Naidu write a letter to the CWC and the union government asking them to clear Kaleshwaram project’s third TMC component, Sitarama Sagar, Sammakka Sagar and Vardha project on Godavari, the Palamuru Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Project, Dindi Lift Irrigation Project and lifting of 40TMC through Kalwakurthy Lift Irrigation project on Krishna river if he was really committed to the interests of Telangana and its people.

Pointing out that Naidu was trying to justify AP utilising surplus water in the Penna basin, Harish Rao said governments in erstwhile AP had built similar projects earlier in Penna basin and diverted the water from Krishna, which fuelled the Telangana movement. Naidu also conspired to make central government organisations send back DPRs of various irrigation projects in Telangana, he said.

Since the BJP-led government would not survive without the support of TDP, the Centre was supporting all the moves of Naidu while Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy remained a mute spectator. Revanth Reddy would not be able to get permissions for projects in Telangana confronting Naidu.

“Why was Revanth Reddy not meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other ministers and officials on this issue if he really had any commitment?” he asked, adding that Revanth Reddy had also appointed a person, who worked with Naidu earlier, as the Irrigation advisor of the Telangana government. Rao also released letters written by Naidu to the CWC and other organisations seeking to stop the irrigation projects in Telangana, exposing his lies.