Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Bhatti Vikramarka has challenged the government to an open debate on the loans acquired for the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project and how useful the water is.
Speaking at the “Face to Face with Farmers” programme at Suryapet on Saturday, he asked Power Minister G. Jagadish Reddy to participate in a debate with him if Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao was not interested. He said Mr. Jagadish Reddy was taking the credit for the development done by the Congress government, and reminded that credit for water from SRSP to Suryapet should go to former MLA Ramreddy Damodar Reddy.
Mr. Jagadish Reddy is lying on Kaleshwaram waters reaching Suryapet. In fact, the water is from the Sri Ram Sagar Project (SRSP) and Dindi projects constructed by the Congress governments.
He explained to the farmers that water for irrigation in Suryapet comes from SRSP and Kadem to Sripada Yellampalli and from there to Mid Manair and Lower Manair and finally to Suryapet. “The Minister is brazenly lying that this water comes from Kaleshwaram,” he said.
Mr. Bhatti objected to the Chief Minister’s utterances against interactions of the Congress leaders with farmers and said his behaviour at the Haliya public meeting reflects his concern for farmers. He said the meetings with farmers were not political but to educate the farmers against the new farm laws of the Centre.
MLA Podem Veeraiah, former MP Madhu Yaskhi Goud, former ministers Ramreddy Damodar Reddy and V. Hanmanth Rao, Kisan Congress chairman Anvesh Reddy, DCC president Cheviti Venkanna Yadav were present.
