Tuesday 23 August 2016

Chandrababu Naidu says no to talks with KCR on water issues

By Udumula Sudhakar Reddy

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is firm that he will not take part in any bilateral talks with the Telangana government on irrigation issues. He instead stresses on tripartite discussions.

Mr Naidu has categorically said that he does not want one-on-one or state level talks with TS CM K. Chandrasekhar Rao or his government on new irrigation projects and old issues.

Talks should be in CWC presence: Chandrababu Naidu
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu wants the issues to be sorted out with the intervention of the Apex Council and CWC.

Reacting to the olive branch extended by Mr Rao, who on TS formation day had said that he was ready for talks with Mr Naidu, the AP CM said: “Any talks should be done in the presence of competent authorities like the CWC and the Apex Council.”

“The Apex Council and river water boards have been formed for dealing with the water issue. Recently in the Nagarjunasagar issue, AP’s share of drinking water was not released initially despite the CWC’s directions. It was delayed. It is not going to be that we both sit and talk. We have to be part of the established structure. At Nagarjunasagar, the police of the two states were about to fight with each other. I felt bad about it and I phoned (KCR) and said it would bring shame to us. We sat with the Governor and decided. Why should this happen? We will sit with the apex council to so-lve any water issues.”

When asked whether he spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding their differences during the Godhra riots, Mr Naidu said that he had spoken to Mr Modi about his differences with him. Mr Naidu had demanded Mr Modi’s resignation during the riots when the latter was CM. “I told him that we had to work together and that India needed him,” said Mr Naidu.

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