Vijayawada Floods Man Made Disaster Caused by Chandrababu Government's Failure: YS Jagan

AP former Chief Minister and YSRCP president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy criticized Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu for not taking any concrete measures to assist flood victims, stating that if a proper plan had been in place, the situation would not have escalated to this level. During his visit to the flood-affected areas of old Rajarajeshwari Peta, Jagan interacted with the victims and expressed his frustration with the negligent attitude of Chandrababu’s government.

He pointed out that there was advance information about the rains and floods, yet no effective measures were taken. "There are no relief camps anywhere, and it’s clear that Chandrababu has no concern for the people. No matter which colony you visit in Vijayawada, the situation is the same. Chandrababu's house was submerged in the floods, so he chose to stay at the Collectorate Office, putting up a front," Jagan stated.

He contrasted the current scenario with his tenure as Chief Minister, saying, "Such dire situations never occurred during our government. When floods hit the Godavari in our time, we relocated 30,000 out of 40,000 people to relief camps. We set up relief camps in advance, and volunteers were always on alert. Volunteers, along with secretariat staff, would work together to evacuate people. After the flood impact subsided, we provided immediate financial aid and sent them back, never empty-handed."

"Now, despite having advance warnings, no actions were taken. If proper reviews were conducted and responsibilities were assigned to relevant officials, and if things were handled systematically, we wouldn't have seen this situation. In the last four months, all officials have been replaced. Now, they are blaming the officials. Chandrababu is trying to escape by making the officials the scapegoats for his mistakes. It is high time he humbly accepts his failure. If the volunteer system were in place, such a situation wouldn’t have arisen. Without retaining walls, areas like Krishnalanka would have been submerged," he added.

Jagan also questioned, "Didn't Chandrababu know that a cyclone was approaching? Even when the Meteorological Department issued alerts, he ignored them. As Chief Minister, Chandrababu has been an utter failure. He hasn’t done any of the duties required of a CM. Due to rains and floods, 32 people have died, and Chandrababu is responsible for these deaths. Is he fit to be the Chief Minister? The fault lies with Chandrababu, so he must apologize to every family and provide compensation. A compensation of ₹25 lakh should be given to each deceased, and ₹50,000 to each household."

He further questioned, "Who lifted the Budameru regulator gates? Why were they lifted? If the gates were not lifted, Chandrababu’s house would have been submerged. If lifted, it would affect only Vijayawada. Today, in their pamphlet paper 'Eenadu,' they wrote that they lifted them due to unavoidable reasons. If there is honesty in journalism, highlight that news too," Jagan urged the reporters present there. Jagan reiterated that the Vijayawada floods were a man-made disaster caused by government negligence.