Revanth’s claim on Rayalaseema lift scheme triggers political firestorm

Vijayawada: A sensational claim made by Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on the floor of the Assembly — that he personally spoke to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu and got the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme (RLIS) stopped — has triggered a fierce political storm across the Telugu states, plunging Andhra Pradesh politics into a sensitive and high-stakes confrontation.

The remarks have ignited an intense war of words between the ruling TDP-led NDA government and the opposition YSRCP in the state, while simultaneously straining inter-state political relations between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The controversy has acquired the proportions of a political crisis, particularly for the NDA government, as it directly concerns Rayalaseema, one of the most drought-prone and politically sensitive regions in the state.

The controversy erupted during heated Telangana Assembly debates when Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, while defending the Palamuru–Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme, claimed that after a personal meeting, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu agreed to shelve the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme to favour Telangana.

The remark sparked shock and widespread political backlash in Andhra Pradesh. The claim that a vital irrigation project for drought-hit Rayalaseema was sacrificed at another State’s request has triggered deep resentment in the region. Long plagued by water scarcity, agrarian distress and migration, Rayalaseema viewed the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme as a lifeline to harness surplus Krishna floodwaters and support agriculture and allied sectors.

At the core of the controversy lies the long-standing Krishna river water dispute between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, which has remained unresolved since the State bifurcation in 2014. The Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-I allocated 811 TMC of water to the undivided State, but the mechanism for sharing this allocation between the two successor States continues to be contentious. The Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme was conceived as a response to this imbalance. Aggressively pursued during the tenure of former chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, the project aimed to lift up to 3 TMC ft of water per day from the Srisailam reservoir. From Srisailam, a total of 101 TMC was planned to be distributed — 38 TMC ft to the Galeru-Nagari canal system in Rayalaseema, 19 TMC ft to SRSP, 29 TMC ft to the Telugu Ganga project, and 15 TMC ft for Chennai’s drinking water needs.

However, structural constraints have long limited Rayalaseema’s access to Krishna waters. The Pothireddypadu head regulator was built at a level of 841 feet, while the full reservoir level of Srisailam is 885 feet. Under the existing configuration, meaningful diversion to Rayalaseema is possible only when the water level crosses 881 feet, allowing a flow of about 44,000 cusecs per day.

At 854 feet, the diversion drops sharply to around 7,000 cusecs, and at 841 feet, to a mere 2,000 cusecs. Below this level, drawing water to Pothireddypadu becomes impossible, pushing Rayalaseema into acute drought conditions. In contrast, Telangana has continued to draw water even when the Srisailam level falls to around 800 feet.

To address this disparity, the YSRCP government on May 5, 2020, permitted the execution of the RLIS to enable lifting water to Pothireddypadu even at lower reservoir levels, similar to Telangana’s approach. The objective was to provide irrigation to nearly six lakh acres across Anantapur, Kadapa, Kurnool, and Chittoor districts.

Against this backdrop, Revanth Reddy’s claim has reinforced the opposition narrative in Andhra Pradesh that Rayalaseema’s interests were compromised, embarrassing the NDA government and reopening long-standing grievances over regional neglect and water injustice.

Within hours, the Andhra Pradesh government issued a sharp rebuttal, rejecting Revanth Reddy’s claim and asserting that the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme had been stalled earlier by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) due to legal issues and alleged misuse during the YSRCP regime, not because of any understanding with Telangana.

At the Andhra Pradesh Secretariat, Ministers Kinjarapu Atchannaidu and BC Janardhan Reddy said the project had stalled in 2020 after an NGT stay during the YSRCP regime, accused the party of misleading the public, and challenged it to show any proof that the project was halted after the NDA came to power.

Minister Atchannaidu explicitly stated that the government would not sacrifice the welfare of Andhra Pradesh for the sake of any personal or political relationship.

Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu himself adopted a more measured tone. Speaking on Monday, he reiterated that he has never opposed Telangana’s irrigation projects and recalled that he did not obstruct the Kaleshwaram project even after the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. Emphasizing the need for cooperation rather than confrontation, he called for unity between the Telugu States and urged that water issues be addressed collectively, without animosity.

However, the row took another turn after Telangana irrigation minister Uttam Kumar Reddy on Monday rejected the TDP’s claims and asserted that Andhra Pradesh halted the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme under Telangana’s pressure, echoing Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and putting the AP NDA government back on the defensive. Amid sharp political exchanges and deep regional sensitivities, the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme has become a flashpoint in Andhra Pradesh politics and a sensitive issue in AP–Telangana relations.