Credit war over Veligonda: Jagan says his father built it, Lokesh says his did

YSRCP president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. File | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement In a war of words over who deserves credit for the construction of the Veligonda project in Andhra Pradesh, YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president and former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s claim that Veligonda was his father Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy’s achievement was dismissed by IT Minister Nara Lokesh, who said Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy created history in 2024 by inaugurating an irrigation project without any water in it, and called the event a fake inauguration which only the YSRCP could pull off.Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy said in a social media post that though the foundation for it was laid by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, the credit for its construction, including the huge twin tunnels, should go to Mr. Rajasekhara Reddy. “The foundation stone is all yours. The resolve and comprehensive construction belong to YS sir. The completion of the key twin tunnels is our government’s achievement. What’s happening now is your credit theft,” he wrote.— Lokesh Nara (@naralokesh) August 31, 2026He said it was immensely gratifying to see the project come to fruition and the completion of the most challenging twin tunnels during the YSRCP tenure, and that their dedication to the nation was a matter of great pride for him.He said the Veligonda project was a true lifeline for the lakhs of families who had no access to safe drinking water and were severely affected by fluorosis, and for the farmers. But seeing Mr. Naidu and his “yellow media’s frenzy” over Veligonda was astonishing, he said.Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy said the stunt Mr. Chandrababu Naidu and his team had been pulling for the last few days was nothing but a publicity gimmick and an attempt to steal the credit for the project construction.He alleged that Mr. Chandrababu Naidu had washed his hands of the project after hastily laying the foundation for it in the run-up to the 1996 elections and that the project did not move even a single step forward in spite of the fact that Mr. Naidu was in power for eight years until 2004. During those years, a sum of only ₹10 lakh was spent, that too on the foundation-laying event and its arrangements, he alleged.Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy went on to say that it was his father who gave the project a tangible shape after becoming the CM, by taking up the construction of the tunnels, Nallamala Sagar, three dams, feeder canals and main channels. Without the 37.587-km twin tunnels, Krishna waters would not reach Markapuram, Prakasam, Kadapa and Nellore districts, he said.In his post, he gave a break-up of the tunnel excavation: 20.333 km dug between 2004 and 2014, 6.686 km during Mr. Naidu’s 2014-19 term, and the remaining 10.568 km, which he called the most challenging, under the YSRCP government.Despite the pandemic and economic hardships, the YSRCP government had completed Tunnel-1 in January 2021 and Tunnel-2 in January 2024, and they were dedicated to the nation on March 6, 2024, he added.He also asked why water had not been diverted to Nallamala Sagar in the 26 months since the tunnels were readied, and alleged that hundreds of displaced families were yet to receive their dues under the rehabilitation package. He sought completion of the Peddadornala super speciality hospital and the Markapuram Government Medical College in the government sector.Mr. Lokesh, replying to the visuals of the March 2024 event, wrote: “Look closely at the visuals. In 2024, Jagan created history. He ‘inaugurated’ an irrigation project without any water in it. A fake inauguration, only the YSRCP could pull this off.” Published - August 31, 2026 04:33 pm IST