Jagan storms Naidu's bastion; releases Krishna river water from Kuppam branch canal

Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday stormed into TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu’s bastion Kuppam.

On Monday he released Krishna river water from the Kuppam branch canal that was constructed at a cost of Rs 560 crore. Jagan also said Naidu had failed his home segment Kuppam.

Addressing a huge public meeting in Kuppam on Monday after conducting special prayers at the canal and releasing water at Rajupet in Ramakuppam mandal, the Chief Minister said his government worked with strong commitment for the development of the constituency despite it was totally neglected during the TDP rule.

Stating that the release of water from Kuppam Branch Canal would be written in golden letters in the region’s history, the Chief Minister said he has fulfilled his promise to the people in a public meeting at Kuppam on Sept 23, 2022.

After giving administrative sanction to Kuppam Branch Canal in 2015 and giving contract to his benamis, Naidu treated it as a canal of money flow into his pockets but abandoned it later as he couldn’t find the flow enough, he said.

Though Naidu abandoned it, his government strived hard to bring Krishna water to Kuppam, 540 meters upstream and 670 km away from Srisailam as part of the Handri Niva Project, he said.

The 123.641 km long Kuppam Branch Canal was constructed for a cost of Rs. 560.29 crore under the AVR HNSS Project Phase-2 to strengthen the ayacut connecting 110 minor irrigation tanks in Kuppam constituency.

He affirmed that Naidu failed to fulfill aspirations of locals and lost the right to represent Kuppam constituency as he neglected it all the time he was in power.

Jagan said that Naidu, who opted to contest from Kuppam after he lost in Chandragiri in 1983 by a margin of over 17,000 votes, has been a failed leader as he totally neglected the constituency though it elected him as MLA seven times and was not worthy to be Chief Minister.

While Naidu’s style of functioning was full of deception and backstabbing, his administration revolves around welfare of the people, Jagan claimed, further adding that the former Chief Minister has no single achievement to his credit despite holding the mantle thrice as Chief Minister, he said.

As he can’t claim to have implemented even a single welfare scheme for the benefit of people, Naidu has forged alliances with foster son and others and is ready to cheat people again with false promises and deceptive alliances, Jagan alleged, and urged the people not to be misled by the former's assurances.

If Naidu couldn’t complete even the Kuppam Branch Canal during his 14 year stint, what he can do fo the state, he questioned.

Though YSRCP BC leader Bharat lost to Naidu in the 2019 elections, he was made MLC, the Chief Minister said, stressing the MLC has been striving hard for the development of the Kuppam.