Amaravati, Jan 4 (NationPress) The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, N. Chandrababu Naidu, has firmly dismissed the assertions made by his Telangana counterpart, A. Revanth Reddy, who claimed that the NDA coalition government in the state had suspended the Rayalaseema Lift Project at his behest.

The government led by the Telugu Desam Party described Reddy's comments as “factually incorrect and misleading”, addressing the remarks made by the Telangana Chief Minister during a debate in the state's Legislative Assembly on Saturday night regarding the Krishna water discussions.

The Andhra Pradesh administration emphasized that Revanth Reddy's allegation that the project was halted due to his intervention and out of deference from Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is untrue.

In the Assembly, CM Revanth Reddy alleged that he exerted pressure on both Naidu and the Central government to halt the Rayalaseema project.

He further indicated that he communicated to Naidu that discussions on inter-state matters would only proceed if Andhra Pradesh ceased its operations on the Rayalaseema project, which he claimed was diverting three TMC of water daily.

Additionally, the Telangana Chief Minister proposed the formation of a fact-finding committee, including representatives from all political parties, to ascertain the current status of the project.

Nevertheless, the Andhra Pradesh government refuted Reddy’s claims, stating that the suspension of the project was not influenced by political motives or the present government's decisions.

The state government pointed out that under the previous administration of Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, the Rayalaseema Lift Project was initiated without the necessary statutory approvals. Despite claims of supplying three TMC of water daily to Rayalaseema, the project commenced without proper clearances.

The government reminded that the Telangana administration had previously contested the project during the last regime, filing legal actions and complaints with both the Centre and the National Green Tribunal (NGT). Consequently, investigations led to a halt of the project due to the lack of required permissions.

It was noted that as far back as 2020, the NGT and the Union government had issued directives concerning the project. Moreover, the Centre had ceased operations well before the Naidu-led government took office in 2024.

The Andhra Pradesh government accused political entities in Telangana of attempting to gain political leverage by framing state politics around a “Chandrababu-centric” narrative. Such themes, they argued, are propagated by both ruling and opposition parties for political advantage.

The NDA government reiterated its stance that it will not compromise on the state's water rights or irrigation advantages for Rayalaseema.

Furthermore, the NDA administration promised to publicly disclose all facts, backed by documentary evidence, concerning the project's initiation, the absence of approvals, and the rationale behind the suspension of its operations.