YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) on Friday, 28 August accused Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu of attempting to appropriate credit for the Poola Subbaiah Veligonda Project, alleging he was presenting decades of work done under YS Rajasekhara Reddy and YS Jagan Mohan Reddy as his own achievement. The accusations were levelled at a press conference at the YSRCP Central Office in Tadepalli.

What the Veligonda Project Covers

YSRCP SC Cell State President and former MLA TJR Sudhakar Babu said the project was designed to deliver irrigation water to 4.47 lakh acres of farmland and drinking water to 15.25 lakh people across 30 mandals in Prakasam, Nellore, and YSR Kadapa districts. He noted that while Naidu had laid the foundation stone on 5 March 1996, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) government had done little to advance the project in the years that followed.

Tunnel Progress Under Each Government

According to Sudhakar Babu, it was YS Rajasekhara Reddy who revived the project under the Jalayagnam programme, introduced the second tunnel, commissioned a comprehensive Detailed Project Report (DPR), and developed the Nallamala Sagar dams and feeder channels. Between 2004 and 2014, a total of 20.33 km of tunnelling was completed — 11.58 km in Tunnel-1 and 8.74 km in Tunnel-2.

In contrast, only about 6.6 km of excavation was carried out during Naidu's 2014–19 tenure, the party claimed. Under YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, tunnelling reportedly accelerated significantly — Tunnel-1 progressed at 4.12 metres per day compared to 2.41 metres under Naidu, while Tunnel-2 advanced at 7.27 metres per day versus 1.31 metres previously. Sudhakar Babu asserted that YSR and Jagan together completed over 85% of the project, with Jagan formally dedicating the twin tunnels to the nation on 6 March 2024.

Demands and Political Challenge

Sudhakar Babu questioned why Naidu was preparing to inaugurate a project already dedicated by his predecessor. He demanded immediate payment of ₹112 crore in compensation to 758 eligible displaced families and challenged Naidu to make the Veligonda project the sole electoral referendum issue in constituencies including Yerragondapalem, Markapuram, Giddalur, Kanigiri, and Darsi.

YSRCP's Broader Fiscal Critique

At a separate press conference, YSRCP spokesperson Karumuri Venkata Reddy alleged that welfare and development had stalled in the 26 months of the current coalition government, while debt and discretionary spending had surged. He said the government had accumulated ₹3.86 lakh crore in debt, borrowing an average of ₹14,859 crore per month, ₹495 crore per day, and ₹20.68 crore per hour.

Karumuri alleged borrowings were split across ₹2.18 lakh crore within the Budget, ₹1.20 lakh crore through corporations, and ₹47,000 crore in the name of Amaravati — surpassing, he claimed, the ₹3.31 lakh crore added over the entire previous five-year YSRCP government. Yet promised schemes such as Aadabidda Nidhi and unemployment allowances reportedly remained unfunded.

He contrasted this with the Jagan-era record, claiming ₹4.58 lakh crore reached citizens through direct benefit transfers and non-DBT welfare, alongside the modernisation of government schools, hostels, and hospitals under Nadu-Nedu, and the initiation of 17 medical colleges, five of which were completed.

Karumuri also itemised what he described as luxury expenditure by the current government: ₹3.44 crore on the Chief Minister's temporary residence, ₹5.40 crore on decorative lighting, ₹7.18 crore on a Delhi bungalow and meeting hall, ₹9.20 crore on bullet-proof vehicles, ₹110 crore on aircraft and helicopters, and an estimated ₹1,500 crore earmarked for advertisements over two years. The government has not publicly responded to these specific figures.

With the Veligonda inauguration expected soon, the political battle over the project's legacy is set to intensify ahead of local constituency contests in the region.