Former Minister & YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) Anakapalli district president, Gudivada Amarnath alleged that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had once again misled the people of North Andhra by claiming credit for bringing Godavari waters to the region.Addressing a press conference at the the city party office, Mr Amarnath alleged Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had never shown genuine commitment towards completing the Polavaram project and farmers dependent on it. He recalled that the project had been discussed for decades and said former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy had secured crucial clearances for Polavaram and undertaken land acquisition and construction of the right and left canals.He alleged that most of the Left Main Canal had already been completed during the earlier YSRCP government and questioned the need for the present government to claim credit for supplying water through the Purushothapatnam lift.Mr. Amarnath also alleged that the Polavaram project had been treated as a source of political and financial benefit by Mr. Naidu.He alleged that the project, originally envisaged with a full reservoir level of 45.72 metres, had effectively been accepted at around 41 metres during a Union Cabinet decision after the NDA government came to power in Andhra Pradesh in 2024. Such a reduction would adversely affect the North Andhra Sujala Sravanthi project, which is intended to provide irrigation and drinking water to parts of the region, he claimed.He said the region, including Visakhapatnam, required substantial quantities of water and questioned how the requirements of agriculture, drinking water and future industrial projects could be met if adequate storage was not maintained at Polavaram.Mr. Amarnath claimed that the previous Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy government had initiated several projects in North Andhra despite facing the COVID-19 pandemic and financial constraints.Mr. Amarnath also criticised the government over the prevailing rainfall situation and alleged that farmers in North Andhra were facing serious difficulties.He questioned what the government was doing to support farmers facing water shortages and drought-like conditions, while, the Chief Minister was focusing on publicity events, he alleged. Published - September 03, 2026 12:45 am IST