Jagan Starts Fast Against Telangana Projects

YSR Congress Party chief Y S Jaganmohan Reddy formally launched his three-day Jala Deeksha (fast) in Kurnool on Monday.

The deeksha is aimed at opposing the irrigation projects being constructed by the Telangana government and the inaction of the TDP government in Andhra Pradesh in protecting the interests of the State.

Jagan, who arrived at the deeksha venue from Pulivendula, was warmly welcomed by MP Butta Renuka, MLAs Gowru Charitha Reddy and Ijaiah, former MLA Murali and others. Thousands of workers gathered to welcome him at Jagannadha Gattu.

On arrival at the deeksha site, Jagan garlanded the bust of late leader Y S Rajasekhar Reddy, his father.

The deeksha was being organised to highlight the failure of the Andhra Pradesh government in opposing the irrigation projects proposed by the Telangana government on the Krishna and Godavari rivers, Jagan claimed. The deeksha sought to give voice to the apprehensions in the minds of the people of Andhra Pradesh in general and Rayalaseema in particular that the projects being built on the Krishna and Godavari rivers upstream by the TRS government in Telangana would render the farmlands downstream barren, he said. The upper riparian State's decision to take 954 TMC from the Godavari would turn the lower riparian Rayalaseema into a drought-stricken region, and the people would suffer from a severe drinking water crisis in addition to an irrigation crisis, he claimed.

Jagan said that Telangana was also diverting 120 TMC from the Krishna river in Mahabubnagar. The Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme and Dindi schemes would divert 2 TMC a day, while the capacity of the Kalwakurthi LIS had been hiked from 25 to 40 TMC. Thus, 30,000 cusecs were being diverted to Telangana. In Srisailam, the intake point had been set up at the 800-feet level to divert water to address the drinking water needs of the delta. All of this would hurt Rayalaseema even more, he lamented.

Jagan slammed the chief ministers of both the Telugu states for paving the way for water wars. He said that while Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao was speaking like Hitler, Chandrababu Naidu was doing nothing. He said that Telangana and Andhra Pradesh should fight jointly for their rights and review the water sharing on a fortnightly basis.

"If this is not done, an India-Pakistan kind of situation will arise between the two Telugu States," he said.

He pointed out that both the regions used to fight unitedly against Maharashtra and Karnataka to protect their interests in the united State.