Former Congress MP Vundavalli Arun Kumar expressed surprise over the statement of Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu that he had brought pressure on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to issue an ordinance merging seven mandals of Khammam into AP for avoiding problems for Poalvaram project.
Naidu had claimed that he had threatened Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he would not take oath as the chief minister unless the Centre promulgated an ordinance merging seven submerged mandals with Andhra Pradesh.
“This is ridiculous and a blatant lie. The decision to merge seven mandals with the AP was taken by the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh himself, as per the commitments made by him in the Parliament,” he said.
Immediately after the Parliament adopting the bifurcation bill, the Manmohan Singh cabinet had sent the ordinance to the President with regard to special status to the state and merger of seven mandals. But as by that time the poll schedule was announced, President didn’t gave his consent, he said.
Vundavalli wondered that whether the Naidu accepted the proposal of special package at that time only. Refuting Chandrababu Naidu’s claims that Pattiseema is part of inter-linking of rivers, Arun Kumar recalled that Central Water Management Director General had clarified by simply fitting some pipes between two canals would not be considered as linking of rivers, for which big reservoirs should be constructed between two rivers.
