YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Sunday, 30 August claimed credit for completing the most critical phase of the Veligonda Project in Andhra Pradesh, while accusing Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu of attempting to 'rewrite' the project's history. Jagan said the twin tunnels — the most challenging component of the decades-old irrigation scheme — were completed under his government's tenure, and that Naidu was running a publicity campaign to 'steal' credit for work done by others.

The Veligonda Project: Decades in the Making

The Veligonda Project is a major irrigation and drinking water initiative designed to channel Krishna river waters to fluorosis-affected and drought-prone districts of Andhra Pradesh. Jagan described it as the fulfilment of his father, former Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy's, long-cherished vision — a lifeline for lakhs of families suffering from fluorosis and for farmers awaiting reliable irrigation.

According to Jagan, Naidu laid a foundation stone for the project in 1996, just ahead of elections, and then abandoned it. Despite holding power for eight years until 2004, Naidu's government reportedly spent only ₹10 lakh on the project — largely on the foundation stone ceremony itself, Jagan alleged. It was YS Rajasekhara Reddy who, after becoming Chief Minister, gave the project comprehensive shape under the Jalayagnam programme, initiating construction of the twin tunnels, Nallamala Sagar reservoir, three dams, a feeder channel, and main canals. Of the total 37.587-km twin tunnel length, 20.333 km was completed under YSR's initiatives, according to Jagan.

Tunnel Completion: Who Did What

During Naidu's 2014–2019 term, only 6.686 km of the tunnels was completed, with no breakthrough achieved in either tunnel, Jagan said. The remaining and most technically demanding 10.568 km was finished by the YSRCP government — Tunnel-1 in January 2021 and Tunnel-2 in January 2024 — despite the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic and severe financial constraints. The twin tunnels were formally dedicated on 6 March 2024, along with head regulators and canal-linking works, he stated.

Jagan's Broader Allegations Against the Current Government

Beyond the credit dispute, Jagan accused the present Telugu Desam Party (TDP)-led government of neglecting the region. He alleged that the 131-bed super speciality hospital at Peddadornala and the government medical college at Markapuram — both initiated by the previous YSRCP regime — remain incomplete. He further alleged that the current government is attempting to privatise the medical college, a charge the ruling dispensation has not publicly addressed.

Jagan also criticised delays in rehabilitating families displaced by the project, citing incomplete payment of resettlement and rehabilitation packages, and the failure to convey water to Nallamala Sagar for over two years since the tunnels were dedicated.

What Jagan Is Demanding

Jagan urged Naidu to set aside what he called 'credit-stealing politics' and focus on filling the reservoir, supplying irrigation and drinking water to the region, and completing the hospital and medical college under the government sector. He argued that the people of this historically backward region needed tangible benefits — not political point-scoring.

This comes amid a broader political rivalry between Jagan's YSRCP and Naidu's TDP, which returned to power in Andhra Pradesh following the 2024 state assembly elections. Disputes over credit for infrastructure projects are a recurring feature of the state's political landscape, with both sides frequently contesting the narrative around flagship schemes.