YSRCP plays politics in troubled waters

Vijayawada: Even as the state administration is making all-out efforts to provide necessary succor to the people who were badly affected by the unprecedented floods witnessed in Krishna district and Vijayawada, the opposition YSRCP has resorted to false propaganda and baseless criticism.

Official records state that River Krishna received over 11 lakh cusecs of flood water in 1903 while now it had received around 12 lakh cusecs of water resulting in major disaster. In the past three days, around 34 cm of rain was recorded in Vijayawada throwing normal life out of gear. The flash floods in the Budameru river led to flooding of national highway which snapped the traffic movement between Hyderabad and Vijayawada and several trains have been cancelled by the South Central Railway due to damage to railway lines at various places between Hyderabad and Vijayawada.

While the entire administration, public representatives, and hotel managements and other voluntary organisations and general public have been trying to provide help in whatever manner they could, the opposition YSRCP resorted to false propaganda on its social media saying that “Amaravati was submerged due to floods and sea water.”

On Monday evening, YSRCP president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy with a few of his followers claimed that he was making a logical statement and said that if water was pounded at Tungabhadra, Srisailam and Pulichintala, such grave situation would not have arisen. Calling this as man-made floods, he alleged that all the gates of Budameru were lifted to save the house of the Chief Minister which is close to the banks of River Krishna. This left all aghast since Budameru flows in different directions and has nothing to do with Krishna River on whose banks Naidu’s rented house is.

Naidu with his past experience in crisis management and relief operations during Hudhud cyclone in Visakhapatnam, Titli cyclone in Srikakulam district, flood ravage in Rajahmundry, mobilised all resources in organising about one lakh food packets by midnight on Sunday.

Apart from various hoteliers in Vijayawada and Hare Krishna teams, East Godavari district collector P Prasanti sent supplies to affected areas in 16 vehicles which included food packets, water bottles, milk, bread, candles, and kerosene stoves.

Naidu also had a teleconference with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the Centre airlifted 10 NDRF teams, 40 power boats and six helicopters. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also spoke to Naidu.