Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and YSR Congress Party President YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday lashed out at sitting Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, urging him to stop what he described as 'dramas' over the Polavaram irrigation project. Addressing the issue from Amaravati, the state's administrative capital, Reddy framed the dispute as political theatre rather than a substantive policy disagreement, signaling that the opposition party intends to keep the mega-dam firmly in the campaign spotlight. The remarks underline how Polavaram, once a bipartisan flagship initiative, has reverted to being a deeply contested symbol in Andhra Pradesh politics.
Polavaram is an under-construction multi-purpose dam on the Godavari river in West Godavari district, designed to irrigate hundreds of thousands of acres across coastal Andhra and provide drinking water and hydropower. It was declared a national project by the central government, which entitles it to cost-sharing arrangements outside the normal state funding pattern. The project has, however, been plagued by cost overruns, rehabilitation disputes with displaced tribal families, and repeated allegations from successive state governments that the previous administration mismanaged the work.
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The YSR Congress Party has previously accused the previous Chandrababu Naidu-led government of underfunding and delaying Polavaram during its earlier stint in power, while the Telugu Desam Party has countered that the YSRCP regime inflated cost claims and slowed execution. Jagan Mohan Reddy's intervention on Wednesday appears aimed at portraying the incumbent TDP-led coalition as engaging in political posturing on a project that, by his account, requires steady administrative focus. His call to end the 'dramas' suggests the YSRCP wants to deny the ruling combine a narrative of revival at Polavaram ahead of future political battles.
Wednesday's remarks came in the form of public statements carried through the SocialNews.XYZ wire and reflect the continuing adversarial posture between the two principal Telugu political formations. While the full transcript of Reddy's comments was not available in the public snippet reviewed, the framing is consistent with the opposition leader's broader strategy of spotlighting what he terms unfulfilled promises by the Chandrababu Naidu government. The Polavaram issue remains a touchstone for measuring delivery on irrigation, rehabilitation, and fiscal commitments in Andhra Pradesh's post-bifurcation politics.
