Chandrababu leads TDP dharna against Babli project in Maharashtra

New Delhi, May 14 (UNI) Hundreds of Telugu Desam Party activists, led by former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, today staged a day long dharna at Jantar Mantar to draw Centre's attention towards the injustice caused to the state by ongoing 'illegal' construction of Babli project on Godavari river by upstream Maharashtra.

Concluding the day long demonstration, the TDP Chief claimed that the project was a 'clear violation' of Justice Bachawat Tribunal Award on the Krishna Godavari dispute. The TDP had organised several agitations in Andhra Pradesh and when the Centre refused to open its eyes to the problem, the TDP had to organise protests in Delhi to get the attention of the Centre and the people of the country.

Mr Naidu said Congress President Sonia Gandhi had promised to resolve the problem when she visited Andhra Pradesh but nothing was done to prevent the upper riparian state from going ahead with the project. ''She could have solved the problem easily as the Congress was heading the UPA coalition at the Centre and was a ruling party in both AP and Maharashtra,'' he said.

Asking Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to quit his job if he could not ensure justice to AP, the former Chief Minister urged him to act as ''sagacious political leader and act independently and not like a bureaucrat''.

He should convene a meeting of the Chief Ministers of the two states to find a solution. If no solution could be found, the Centre should use its powers conferred by article 356 of the Constitution and direct Maharashtra Government to stop illegal construction,'' Mr Naidu demanded.

He also said that the TDP had sought time from President A P J Abdul Kalam and Prime Minister to apprise them the problems of poor farmers of his state.

Mr Naidu also said the Congress and the Centre should realise that the anger of people of Andhra would sweep them away in the polls. The Babli dam, when complete, would deny waters to 18 lakh acres in seven districts of water parched Telangana region, he said.

Several TDP leaders including former state ministers Devender Goud, P Sreenivasa Reddy, TDP MPs Yerran Naidu, C Ramachandraiah, R Chandrashekhar Reddy addressed the day long dharna undertaken by the TDP activists who had come to Delhi by a special train to highlight the problems caused by the dam across Godavari.

Mr Naidu, who sat along with the TDP workers, also led a procession from Andhra School near ITO to Jantar Mantar on foot.

UNI