Hyderabad: Stating that he believes in the adage ‘Live and let live’, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Thursday said he would send a copy of the PowerPoint presentation on irrigation projects to his AP counterpart N. Chandrababu Naidu.
Seeking friendly ties with permanent geographical neighbours like AP, Mr Rao advised Mr Naidu to utilise AP’s share of Godavari and Krishna waters and allow TS do the same. Mr Rao, during his three-hour long PowerPoint presentation in the Assembly, slammed the Congress for boycotting the session without reason and unleashing false propaganda over the MoU with Maharashtra.
He accused the governments of undivided AP of deliberately leaving Telangana parched by selecting irrigation project sites in places like reserved forest areas so that the projects either never took of or landed in inter-state disputes and thus were never completed. The ultimate aim, he said, was to ensure water to coastal districts.
“Naidu is my friend. I will send a pendrive to him and also speak to him. I believe in a ‘live and let live’ policy. I want people, farmers of both AP and TS, to live happily. I compliment Naidu for taking up the Pattiseema project despite internal disputes. Let AP utilise its share of Godavari and Krishna waters and allow us do so too,” Mr Rao said.
Mr Rao added, “There is no point in quarrels and allowing Godavari waters to drain into sea. Like Maharashtra, we want friendly ties with AP. Godavari waters can be used for irrigation, tourism, fisheries etc. We have assured water for only 19 lakh acres.”
He said that when he met Mr Naidu to invite him for the Maha Yagam, he broached the topic of utilisation of river waters by both the states. “The 58-year-old journey of Telangana is quite painful. We have been cheated, looted and denied our rightful share in many sectors,” he said.
Mr Rao said that Maharashtra Chief Minist er Devendra Fadnavis denied any MoU with Congress government for location of Tummadihatti project. “Fadnavis said that he, as a BJP leader, objected to submergence of 200-odd villages in his constituency under Tummadihatti project and since then there was no change in his stand.”
