Hyderabad: While condemning the smear campaign against allegedly blocking work on the Polavaram multipurpose project, Congress MP Dr K.V.P. Ramachandra Rao on Sunday challenged AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to complete the project on time by 2019. If he did so, he would make all efforts to see that the Bharat Ratna and the title ‘Apara Bhagirathudu’ would be conferred on him.
Dr Rao, in a nine-page letter to the Chief Minister, accused him of compromising the state’s interests for getting full financial assistance for the project as was promised earlier by the UPA government. He said that after the state bifurcation, Mr Naidu had systematically surrendered the state interests in Polavaram. He said that whenever leaders took up the Polavaram issue, they were branded as anti-state and anti-Polavaram by TD leaders.
Dr Rao offered to forego the remaining three-year tenure in the Rajya Sabha if it was proved that he was blocking work on the dam. He said that if an inquiry proved that he did nothing wrong, Mr Naidu should resign from his post and apologise for his false allegation.
