VIJAYAWADA: YSRCP leader and former Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath Reddy made a significant claim on Sunday, asserting that the funds currently being channeled into the Polavaram irrigation project were initially secured and arranged by the previous YSRCP government. He directly accused the TDP-led NDA government of now spending these very funds.
During a press interaction in Hyderabad, Mr. Rajendranath Reddy squarely blamed the TDP government, which was in power from 2014 to 2019 under N. Chandrababu Naidu, for the considerable delays in the project’s execution and the seemingly haphazard construction approach. He argued that the project suffered for years due to the TDP government’s inefficiency and alleged that Mr. Naidu’s decision to take over the project’s construction from the Centre, despite its national status, was driven by vested interests. Conversely, he highlighted that the project witnessed substantial progress during the YSRCP’s tenure.
The YSRCP leader further elaborated, stating that it was former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy who initially obtained the necessary clearances for the Polavaram project. His son, former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, then ensured its continuity between 2019 and 2024, overseeing the completion of a major portion of the work.
Mr. Rajendranath Reddy also criticized the project’s stagnation, attributing it to Mr. Naidu’s acceptance of the outdated Standard Schedule of Rates (SSR) from 2013-14. He contrasted this with Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s efforts, who, he said, successfully persuaded the Centre to revise these rates upwards, allocating a total of ₹48,000 crore. According to Mr. Reddy, without these revisions, the project would have remained stalled due to what he termed Mr. Naidu’s “misplaced priorities.”
Finally, the YSRCP leader dismissed Mr. Naidu’s assertion of having brought Krishna river water to Kuppam as both false and misleading. He also ridiculed the Chief Minister’s recent pledge to complete the Polavaram diaphragm wall by the end of 2025, pointing out that even preliminary works for this task were far from finished.