Kakinada, December 24: Telugu Desam Party (TDP) incharge for Kakinada, Amalapuram parliamentary constituencies, and former Home Minister Kimidi Kala Venkatarao today blamed the Congress party s duel policy for Andhra Pradesh irrigation projects getting grossly neglected by the UPA Government. Addressing a press conference along with Nimmakayala Chinarajappa, district party president, here he cited how two irrigation projects in Uttar Pradesh Sarayu Nahar Pariyojana and Sarada Sahayak projects were accorded national project status by the UPA Government, just on the eve of elections there. This is nothing but appeasing policy, being followed by the Congress. Why the Centre failed to declare Pollavaram, Chevella-Pranahita as national projects in our state?, he asked. The Congress leaders were again deceiving the voters at the time of elections by their tall talk of Center granting national projects status to Polavaram and Pranahita. But the experience showed that Congress was not sincere and serious on AP irrigation projects. There was a large contingent of as many as 30 Congress MPs from the state but they had failed to secure national projects status to these two vital projects, he added. Further, he alleged during Y S Rajasekhara reddy s tenure nearly Rs 75,000 crore was spent towards mobilization of advances to the contractors in the name of Jala Yagnam but not even a single project was completed. Mr Venkatarao said the TDP would raise this issue in the ensuing Assembly session and would fight against the injustice being meted out to the state at all levels.
—-Agencies