Tadepalli, Feb 25: YSRCP MLC Thoomati Madhava Rao strongly criticised Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu for “blatant falsehoods” about the Veligonda Project during his Markapuram tour, asserting that the project bears the unmistakable imprint of the YSR family.
Addressing the media at the YSRCP central office in Tadepalli, Madhava Rao stated that the Veligonda Project was conceived and initiated by late Chief Minister Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy on October 27, 2004, with an outlay of Rs. 3,581 crore, and that it was under former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy that the first two tunnels were completed and dedicated to the nation on March 6, 2024. He criticised Chandrababu Naidu for neglecting the project during his 2014–19 tenure despite having the opportunity to complete it.
The MLC questioned how the coalition government, even after 20 months in power, has failed to deliver the long-pending Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R&R) package to displaced families while claiming the project is complete. He said nearly 7,300 families who lost their homes require about Rs. 1,000 crore under the R&R package, and despite assurances in the first District Review Committee meeting that compensation would be paid within two to three months, no such payments have been made. Madhava Rao termed the Chief Minister’s claims that compensation has been fully disbursed as “outright lies” and asked why only a canal was inaugurated instead of formally commissioning the entire project if all obligations had indeed been fulfilled.
Highlighting development in Prakasam district, he said projects such as Ramayapatnam Port, Indosol Company, and the completion of Veligonda stand as proof of Y.S. Jagan’s commitment and described them as the “trademark” of his governance. He further remarked that a leader who once described agriculture as a “burden” has no moral right to speak about irrigation projects. On the Tirumala laddu controversy, Madhava Rao accused the government of spreading false allegations that YSRCP MLCs insulted the deity by wearing footwear in the Legislative Council. He challenged the government to release any authentic footage proving the claim and questioned what action was taken against media houses like Eenadu and Andhra Jyothy after the government itself admitted that the circulated videos were fake. He asserted that the coalition government is relying on propaganda instead of addressing ground realities and demanded accountability over both development claims and misinformation campaigns.
*Govt pushing harbour privatization; fishermen’s livelihood at risk*
