YSR Congress party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy was all praise for his Telangana counterpart K Chandrasekhar Rao for coming forward for an agreement to share Godavari waters in an amicable manner.
“KCR is a gentleman. He has come forward with a kind heart to help the people of Andhra Pradesh. If the agreement helps our state, we shall go ahead with it. There is nothing wrong in it,” Jagan said in the assembly during the debate on Telangana-AP irrigation pacts.
He reiterated that Andhra Pradesh and Telangana governments would work in tandem for the optimum utilization of Godavari waters for mutual benefit. All options will be explored to ensure that the waters would be taken to the arid regions of the state.
“We will try to maintain cordial relations with the neighbouring state of Telangana and are in discussion with it as to how best we can utilize the Godavari waters in the most effective manner through bilateral agreements which are mutually beneficial,” he said.
However, Telugu Desam Party president and opposition leader N Chandrababu Naidu cautioned that it is not good for the chief minister to take hasty decisions on crucial issue of water sharing.
“We have seen how Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are still fighting for Cauvery waters. Even the Supreme Court is unable to resolve the issue,” he pointed out.
He said Jagan might be in power today and have good relations with the Telangana government.
“But, you should keep long term implications in mind”, he said.
Irrigation minister Anil Kumar Yadav said the officials of the two states are in the process of preparing the draft agreement.
