TDP playing 'political drama' on Babli issue: Minister

Hyderabad, Apr 18 (UNI) Andhra Pradesh Major Irrigation Minister P Lakshmaiah today alleged that the opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) was resorting to ''political drama'' on the controversial Babli project construction taken up by the Maharashtra government by conducting agitation programmes.

Talking to newspersons here, he said the Maharashtra government had taken up construction of the project in 2003, during the TDP regime in the state.'' The project would not have been constructed on Godavari river had the TDP government complained to the centre at that time, he alleged.

Alleging that the TDP filed a petition in the apex court on Babli issue recently to gain political mileage, he said the court would consider the private petition as an internal part of the main suit filed by the state government. There is no use filing private petitions on this issue in the Supreme Court, he added.

Mr Lakshmaiah said the Apex Court had agreed to conduct advance hearing on Babli project on April 25 instead of in the second week of May. The government would bring all the recent developments at the project to the notice of the court, he added.

The minister said the government would also highlight the Maharashtra police lathicharge on common people when they were proceeding to the project.

UNI