Tadepalli, August 21, 2026: YSR Congress Party General Secretary Gadikota Srikanth Reddy said the Chandrababu Naidu government had abandoned farmers even as severe drought conditions grip Rayalaseema under the El Niño impact. Despite warnings nearly a year in advance, the government failed to prepare even a basic contingency plan or make alternative arrangements for agriculture and drinking water, he said.
Addressing the media at the YSRCP central office in Tadepalli, Srikanth Reddy said sufficient water was available in Srisailam, but the government was not drawing it at full capacity through Pothireddypadu. Though Pothireddypadu has a capacity of around 50,000 cusecs, only about 8,000 cusecs was being released, leaving key reservoirs such as Gorakallu, Gandikota, Velugodu, Somasila and Kandaleru inadequately filled. Even the KC Canal was being denied water, while crucial projects including Gandikota and Handri-Neeva were being neglected. He questioned why Andhra Pradesh was failing to secure available water when Telangana was actively diverting water through its projects.
He said farmers depending on borewells were struggling to obtain urea and seeds. During the YSRCP government, farmers received input subsidy, free crop insurance and zero-interest loans, whereas the coalition government had failed to provide meaningful support, compensation for crop losses or assistance to families of farmers who died by suicide.
Srikanth Reddy recalled that Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy launched 83 irrigation projects under Jalayagnam and strengthened Rayalaseema’s water future through Pothireddypadu. He said the present government was weakening those very projects instead of protecting farmers.
He demanded immediate implementation of a comprehensive drought contingency plan, full utilisation of available Srisailam water, completion of Rayalaseema irrigation projects and urgent support to farmers. A government spending hundreds of crores on special aircraft and helicopters cannot ignore the distress of the farmers who feed the state, he said, warning that continued neglect would trigger widespread farmer anger.
*DSC was managed, not merit-based: MLCs*
