VIJAYAWADA: Water resources minister Ambati Rambabu on Saturday accused Telugu Desam chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu of hatching a conspiracy to destabilise the YSRC government by wantonly provoking violence in Punganur.
He pointed out that the attack on police in Punganur had been unprecedented, using rods, stones and glass shells. Many policemen had been injured and several vehicles destroyed.
Rambabu maintained that Naidu has no moral right to talk about Rayalaseema, as despite being the CM of AP for 14 years, he had done nothing to develop the region. “Naidu is the traitor of Rayalaseema,” he declared at a press conference.
The minister pointed out that Tamballapalle, Madanapalle, Punganur, Peeleru, Palamaneru and Kuppam have been poverty-stricken areas of the combined Chittoor district.
Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has thus taken up the Rayalaseema Drought Mitigation Project at a cost of ₹40,480 crore. Work on the first phase of the project has already started. He underlined that Mudivedu in Thamballapalle and Vatriguntapalli and Auvulapalli in Punganur are the three reservoirs for which ₹2,144 crore tenders have been finalised. Mudivedu will store 2 TMC, Vatriguntapalli 1 TMC and Auvulapalli 3.5 TMC of water. In all, Jagan Mohan Reddy has started works for bringing 6.5 TMC of water from Gandikota Reservoir, Rambabu underlined.
At another press meet, civil supplies minister Karumuri Nageswara Rao said though Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan claims to be the son of a constable, why he has not said a thing when 50 policemen have been injured in the Punganur violence in an arson unleashed by goons who had been brought from outside to launch the attacks.
