Hyderabad: Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu alleged that the Union Governmnet has failed to protect the riparian interests of Andhra Pradesh even as the Maharashtra government went ahead with the illegal construction of the controversial Babli project on river Godavari.
Addressing a press conference at the NTR Trust Bhavan here today, Naidu said the Maharashtra government has almost come to the final stage of Babli construction though the Central Water Commission ruling that the project was illegal.
"Is not the Union Government duty bound to safeguard the interests of Andhra Pradesh," he questioned angrily.
The Telugu Desam Party delegation, led by party MP Erraballi Dayakar Rao, was today prevented from visiting the Babli project site to inspect the ongoing works. "Why should the Maharashtra government prevent our leaders from inspecting the project if there is nothing illegal," Chandrababu said.
He came down heavily on Andhra Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy for failing to plead the state s case effectively on the controversial project.
"We extended all support to the Congress government to fight the case against Maharashtra so as to protect the interests of our state, particularly the Telangana region. But the Chief Minister remained indifferent," Chandrababu alleged.
The TDP chief reiterated the charge that Rajasekhara Reddy and his colleagues were looting public money in the name of irrigation projects.
"They have mortgaged the state interests only to further their vested interests," he added.
