Jagan Ends Fast, Questions KCR's Irrigation Projects

Concluding his Jala Deeksha in Kurnool on Wednesday, YSR Congress Party president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy lashed out at Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao over the ongoing works on the Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme.

He also excoriated Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu saying that the latter had no courage to question KCR on the RDS works and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue of grant of Special Status to Andhra Pradesh.

Targeting KCR, Jagan said, "We remained united till recently. Both Andhra and Telangana people speak Telugu. We fought together against the neighbouring States over the Babli and Almatti projects, since we would not get a drop of water if the upper riparian States construct projects. Knowing all this very well, you are constructing projects in Mahabubnagar which will result in the stoppage of river waters to Andhra Pradesh. Is it not a grave injustice?"

Jagan also said that Chandrababu Naidu remained mum on the Telangana projects even as KCR started works on the RDS. If KCR went ahead with the projects, there would be no water to the Srisailam project, and the people of Rayalaseema, Prakasam and Nellore would have no drinking water, he said.

Jagan alleged that though Naidu had gone to Delhi, he did not gather the courage to broach the subject with Prime Minister Modi, and reiterated that if the Telangana government drew 70,000 cusecs, the AP region, especially Rayalaseema, would get completely parched.

He said that if the situation continued to deteriorate, it would turn similar to the one on the India-Pakistan border. He vowed that if there was no change in the situation and if Naidu and KCR failed to arrive at an amicable settlement within two months, he would undertake a deeksha again, at Polavaram.