The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) on Tuesday strongly objected to what it described as a false narrative being spread by the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) and its media arm, Sakshi, claiming that the capital city of Amaravati had been completely submerged after just a few spells of rain and was unfit to serve as the capital of Andhra Pradesh.
The TDP was responding to controversial remarks by former YSRCP MLA Kethireddy Venkatarami Reddy, who said, “In two or three years, we will catch Pulasa fish in Amaravati and distribute them to everyone. Just as the Godavari floods, Amaravati too will be drowned.”
In a sharp rebuttal, former minister Devineni Umamaheswara Rao condemned what he called the YSRCP’s “malicious propaganda” that Amaravati was under water.
He argued that the ruling party could not digest the fact that construction projects worth ₹52,000 crore were progressing in the capital region.
“The YSRCP leaders are spreading lies with the support of their ‘Blue Media.’ They are showing visuals of streams flooding in other areas and claiming Amaravati is drowned. This is fake news,” he said.
Rao recalled that YSRCP leaders had earlier alleged that the gates of the Prakasam Barrage were non-functional and that crops were submerged due to Kondaveeti Vagu waters. However, irrigation officials had denied these claims and even filed complaints.
“Passing off images of overflowing streams in Kambhampadu as Amaravati is a clear example of YSRCP’s misinformation campaign,” he charged.
He further added: “If Jagan Mohan Reddy truly has courage, let him come to Amaravati. Let him see the Secretariat, Assembly, High Court, and SRM University with his own eyes. Let him observe the ongoing works directly. Instead, he chooses to sit in Tadepalli Palace or attend felicitation ceremonies in Bengaluru, misleading people instead of facing reality.”
