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Congress MLAs accuse YSR of intimidation

Special Correspondent

Telangana legislators join issue with Chief Minister on Pothireddypadu

HYDERABAD: Stepping up their dissension on the Pothireddypadu controversy, Congress MLAs P. Janardhan Reddy and M. Shashidhar Reddy on Tuesday asked Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy to stop his attempts to intimidate the Telangana region by raising extraneous issues.

Talking to reporters here on Tuesday, they said Dr. Reddy had deliberately linked the Pothireddypadu head regulator issue to other irrigation projects like Nettempad, Kalwakurthi and Bheema by seeking a wider debate, including projects similarly based on surplus water of Krishna in Telangana.

"No one can intimidate us for seeking a clarification on the issue. We are not asking the Government to deprive Rayalaseema of its share of water. Its argument is unconvincing. When we raised the issue at the recent APCC meeting, the Chief Minister said any debate should include all Telangana projects. Does he mean to say that he will put a halt to those projects too," they asked.

Arguing that Major Irrigation Minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah was trying to divert people's attention by challenging his critics for a debate, they said "when the PCC has already fixed January 15 as the date for it, why is the Minister raising the subject now?"

The Congress MLAs alleged that the increased capacity of the head regulator would allow diversion of up to 500 tmcft of Krishna water in future.

The existing capacity itself was aimed at diverting 361 tmcft. Till date this season, 93 tmcft of water had been released to Rayalaseema, they said.

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