Chandrababu responds on Polavaram, says YS Jagan should have talk to centre instead of letter

TDP national president and former chief minister Chandrababu Naidu said that AP CM Jagan was doing ignorant politics on the Polavaram project. He said Jagan has to know the facts completely before he could write a letter to prime minister Narendra Modi. It is learnt that the Prime Minister has written a letter to CM Jagan asking him to intervene in the final estimates of the Polavaram project and provide funds to complete the construction. Speaking to media on Sunday, Chandrababu responded to a letter written by Jagan to the Prime Minister and has criticised for counter-attacking TDP instead of speaking directly to the Center. He said it would hurt the state conceens if the latter has no awareness on the projects. He said that Jagan had lost the sanctity by writing a letter to the Prime Minister.

"The Polavaram project was 71 per cent completed during the TDP regime. We have paid special attention to provide water to every acre in the state once the project is completed. The then Union Minister Gadkari came and congratulated Polavaram on the construction. In 2019, the Technical Advisory Committee approved Rs 55,000 crore estimates. On February 20, 2014, the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that the entire responsibility for the construction of the project lies with the central government," Naidu said.

He recalled that the NITI Ayog commission has suggested that the responsibility for the construction of Polavaram should be handed over to the state government. However, he said they have made it clear that they would only cover the cost of the power plant. "It was clearly stated at the time that the cost of the project, R&R, would be borne by the Center. In this regard, a team was stationed in Delhi and provided the required information to the Center; the Center has given similar answers to questions asked by several state MPs in Parliament and it is natural that the construction cost of the project will increase as the years go by, " Chandrababu said.

Chandrababu alleged that his advice on irrigation projects was ignored. He was outraged over YS Jagan that the state was being ruled as his own estate with ignoranceand arrogance. He ridiculed that the state is being destroyed with half knowledge and urged the people to respond to the injustice being done to the state in the Polavaram issue.