Vijayawada: BC Welfare, Handlooms and Textiles Minister S Savitha alleged that former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy was solely responsible for the stalling of the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme (RLIS). Addressing a press conference at Tummalapalli Kalakshetram on Sunday, she said the project was halted in 2020 following the orders of National Green Tribunal (NGT) due to the then YSRCP government initiating works without obtaining mandatory statutory approvals.

The Minister accused Jagan Mohan Reddy of attempting to hide his own failures by spreading misinformation through his ‘blue media’ and indulging in what she termed as ‘poisonous propaganda’ against the present coalition government. She said staging dramas and misleading people had become a habit for Jagan, recalling similar theatrics in the past.

Referring to an incident in February 2024 at Rajupeta in Kuppam constituency, the Minister alleged that Jagan created a ‘cinema-style set’ by installing a temporary gate and claiming release of water into Handri-Neeva canal. She pointed out that not a single drop of water flowed and the gate was removed the very next day using a bulldozer, exposing the act as a mere publicity stunt.

Calling Jagan ‘Rayalaseema betrayer’, Savitha questioned whether he had constructed even a single feeder canal in the region during his five-year tenure. She alleged that not only were no new projects taken up, but even the maintenance of existing projects was neglected, citing the Annamayya dam incident that claimed 42 lives.

The Minister asserted that there would be no compromise on Andhra Pradesh’s water rights and Rayalaseema’s irrigation interests. She said the credit for providing drinking and irrigation water to Rayalaseema belongs to former Chief Minister NT Rama Rao and present Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. Highlighting various initiatives undertaken under Chandrababu Naidu’s leadership, she said Rayalaseema was transformed into a horticulture hub and assured that the government remains committed to providing water to every acre in the State.