Hyderabad, July 22: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K Rosaiah has strongly rebutted his Maharashtra counterpart Ashok Chavan’s claim that the AP government was not so serious about resolving the row over Babli irrigation project.
“Maybe Chavan’s memory is short. It is not proper for him to say that we are not doing anything on the Babli issue.
We are doing everything in a democratic way to resolve the dispute with Maharashtra,” Rosaiah told a press conference at the Secretariat here today.
Maintaining that the AP government doesn’t have any “personal grudge” against Maharashtra, the Chief Minister asserted that protecting “our state’s interests” over sharing of river waters was their only priority.
“We want an amicable and just solution to the imbroglio. I believe in a negotiated settlement,” he added.
The Chief Minister said the proposed all-party meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the Babli issue has been rescheduled to July 26 from 23.
“We have invited all political parties in the state to send one representative each for the meeting with the Prime Minister. If TDP wants a larger delegation, let it meet the Prime Minister separately,” Rosaiah said.
Ministers Dharmana Prasada Rao, Aanam Ramanarayana Reddy, Botsa Satyanarayana, Ponnala Lakshmaiah and Pitani Satyanarayana were present.
—PTI