Andhra Pradesh's Education Minister Nara Lokesh on Tuesday alleged that former Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy had hatched a "conspiracy" to kill lakhs of people by damaging Prakasam Barrage across Krishna River.
Lokesh posted on social media platform X that "psycho" Jagan's "conspiracy" to wipe out Vijayawada and dozens of Lanka villages by hitting Prakasam Barrage with iron boats was "exposed".
He alleged that the "conspiracy" was to see that lakhs of people meet watery graves.
"While Psycho Jagan planned the conspiracy to demolish Prakasam barrage with boats, YCP MLC Talasila Raghuram and former YCP MP Nandigam Suresh executed the plan," wrote Lokesh.
He also claimed that while in power, Jagan, for his sand mafia, had caused the Annamayya dam to wash away, killing 50 people and wiping out five villages.
Lokesh, who is the son of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, alleged that Jagan had hatched the Prakasam Barrage conspiracy in the same manner.
"Psycho Jagan gang is carrying out venomous propaganda blaming the government for the floods so that their conspiracies do not get exposed," he said.
Vijayawada police had on Monday arrested two persons in connection with the incident of five boats ramming into Prakasam Barrage on September 1 during the floods.
Authorities claimed that one boat went down between the gate, and three others got stuck at barrage gates while efforts were on to trace the fifth boat.
One of the three boats damaged the counterweight of the gate and none collided with the main structure.
Police arrested Ushadri, the owner of the three boats and YSR Congress Party leader Komati Rammohan. Both were produced before a court, which remanded them to judicial custody for 14 days.
State Water Resources Minister Nimmala Ramanaidu alleged that there was a conspiracy behind the incident. He said the investigations were on due to suspicion that boats were deliberately left in the river to damage the barrage.
The minister said Ushadri is a follower of Rammohan, who is a relative of YSRCP MLC Talasila Raghuram.
He claimed that YSRCP leader Nandigam Suresh and others formed a "syndicate" for dredging in Krishna River.
"It is beyond one's comprehension to imagine what the damage would have been if the boats collided with the main structure," he said.
