YS Jagan Must Skip Kaleshwaram Opening: Bhatti Vikramarka

Hyderabad: Praising Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's stand on defection, senior Congress leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka on Friday said it would be unfair if the YSRCP leader participated in the inauguration of the Kaleshwaram project as KCR had openly encouraged defection of Congress MLAs into the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi.

Vikramarka alleged that KCR had endorsed defection to avoid questions from a strong Opposition over huge corruption on the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS) project over river Godavari.

"KCR engineered defections to avoid questions from a strong opposition over huge corruption in Kaleshwaram project. The project has been turned into a money-spinner for KCR and family,” said Bhatti told a leading English daily.

He also demanded that tenders of Kaleshwaram and other irrigation projects be put up on an official website.

Bhatti charged the Telangana CM with renaming and re-designing the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project, from the earlier Pranitha Chevella irrigation project that was launched by late CM Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy before bifurcation.

He alleged that KCR not only renamed an earlier existing project but also scaled its cost. KCR will be in Vijayawada on June 17 to invite newly-elect CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy for the inauguration and will also attend a spiritual event organised by Swami Swaroopananda in Vijayawada.

Being built at a cost of about Rs 80,499 crore, the Kaleshwaram project will divert 180 TMC of water to irrigate 7.38 lakh hectares.

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