Jagan slams CM Naidu for 'neglecting' Andhra as Karnataka pushes Almatti Dam height increase
Amaravati (PTI): YSRCP supremo Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday hit out at Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu for "completely neglecting" the state’s interests following Karnataka's plans to raise the height of the Almatti Dam.
Reddy pointed out that the Karnataka Cabinet recently approved increasing the dam’s height from 519 metres to 524.2 metres, which will effectively double its storage capacity from 130 TMC to 280 TMC. He noted that the neighbouring state allocated a budget of Rs 70,000 crore on September 16 for this purpose.
“Reddy delivered a sharp warning to Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, accusing him of completely neglecting Andhra Pradesh’s interests while Karnataka pushes forward with raising the height of the Almatti Dam,” said a YSRCP press release.
The opposition leader alleged that despite the “grave threat” to Andhra Pradesh’s irrigation and drinking water needs, Naidu has failed to act.
“Entire regions face the danger of turning barren without water,” he said and questioned, “If Naidu cannot safeguard the rights of the state, then why should he hold the post of chief minister at all?”
Recalling Naidu’s tenure as CM between 1995 and 2004, Reddy alleged that the former had boasted of wielding influence at the Centre, yet Karnataka managed to expand the Almatti Dam, completing spillway and gate works despite the Supreme Court’s cap of 519 metres.
“Your failures in the past have already caused immense damage, and history is repeating itself today,” Reddy charged.
He claimed that for over two and a half decades, the increase in the Almatti Dam’s height had adversely impacted Andhra Pradesh during drought years, depriving it of both irrigation and drinking water. “Year after year, farmers and people have suffered because of Naidu’s inaction,” he said.
Reddy also condemned media portrayal of Naidu as running the wheel of power in Delhi, while in reality, he is “failing” to use the strength of his MPs to press the Centre to stop the dam’s expansion.
He alleged that Andhra Pradesh’s submissions before the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal II (KWDT-II) under Naidu were weak and ineffective. Reddy recalled that the erstwhile YSRCP government had filed a petition before KWDT-II in October 2023 to safeguard the state’s rights, but alleged that Naidu’s government had "mishandled the case without seriousness."
He urged Naidu to "immediately wake up," use his MPs to pressurise the Centre, halt Karnataka’s plans to raise the Almatti Dam’s height, and present strong arguments at KWDT-II.
“If you continue this betrayal of Andhra Pradesh, future generations will remember you as a chief minister who failed his own state,” he alleged.
Meanwhile, there was no immediate reaction from the TDP.
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Justice must be seen to be done: Kejriwal on refusal to appear in excise case before HC judge
New Delhi (PTI): Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal has written to Delhi High Court Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma, saying he will not appear in the excise case personally or through a lawyer before her, the party said on Monday.
Pointing to a "grave miscarriage of justice", Kejriwal, in a four-page letter, said he has "serious and unreconciled" concerns regarding the matter.
"I have decided that I shall not participate in the further proceedings in this matter, either in person or through counsel. I do not take this step lightly," Kejriwal added.
In his letter, Kejriwal further said that "justice must not only be done, but must also be seen to be done".
"The principle that justice must not only be done, but must also be seen to be done, is among the most sacred assurances that a court gives to a citizen in a democracy," he said.
The assurance cannot be dishonoured by asking the citizen to ignore what "anyone can plainly see" in a case like this, he added in the letter.
The letter also invoked the principles of Satyagraha and the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, with Kejriwal saying that his intent is "strengthening of judiciary and prevent its weakening".
He added that he has given the authority an opportunity to consider and correct what he perceived to be a grave miscarriage of justice.
His earlier plea seeking the recusal of Justice Sharma, which was rejected on April 20, was interpreted as a personal attack, the AAP chief claimed.
"After the said judgment, I am left with the painful and inescapable impression that what I had urged as a lawful plea of apprehension was received and answered as a personal attack upon Your Ladyship and as an assault on the institution itself.
"Those are not, with respect, answers to the case I had brought. They show me that my plea of apprehension has been judicially understood as a personal and institutional affront," he said in the letter.
The letter further noted the leader's belief that it was now "impossible to receive an impartial hearing" in Justice Sharma's court.
Kejriwal also reiterated two grounds cited earlier in his recusal plea.
"First, the issue of Your Ladyship's repeated public association with the RSS's legal front, the Akhil Bharatiya Adhivakta Parishad (ABAP) -- an organisation belonging to the ideological ecosystem of the ruling dispensation," he wrote, further pointing out that Justice Sharma's children "are professionally engaged on multiple advocates' panels of the Union government which happens to be the opposite party in this case".
Reflecting on his personal experience during the proceedings, the former Delhi chief minister expressed concern over the broader implications of his case on public trust in the judiciary, while he said he maintains respect for the institution.
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"When I appeared before Your Ladyship to argue my case, the question in my heart was simple: Will I get justice? Today, with the deepest respect, I must say that the same question has become graver and deeper in my conscience," he said.
This case has now become a matter of widespread public discussion. It is being discussed not merely in legal and political circles, but in homes across the country, the letter read.
Addressing potential criticism, Kejriwal clarified that his remarks should not be interpreted as opposition to the judiciary.
"As I write this, I am also cognisant of the fact that some might portray me as someone 'against' the judiciary. But how can that ever be the case when I have personally received relief from the judiciary, including orders of bail and the present discharge?
"Today, I walk free because of the judiciary. Let there exist no figment of imagination that my present stand is against the institution," he asserted.
Kejriwal further said his respect for the judiciary "remains intact" and he has "unwavering faith" in the Constitution of India.
"My objection is not to the institution of the High Court or the larger judicial system, but only to the continuance of this matter before Your Ladyship (Sharma) under a cloud of grave and unresolved questions and circumstances that have generated grave public doubt in your ability to dispense impartial justice," Kejriwal further wrote in the letter.
He also clarified that his "personal inability" is confined to just this matter.
"I shall continue to appear in matters where these serious and unreconciled concerns do not arise, including matters in which the solicitor general does not appear and matters unconnected with the Union government, the BJP or the RSS," the letter added.
He further said he has made the decision by listening to the voice of his conscience and that he is prepared to bear the consequences.
"I may prejudice my own legal interests. I understand that I may lose the opportunity to advance submissions before this Hon'ble Court and that adverse consequences in law may follow. I am prepared to bear those consequences," the AAP chief said.
He added that he will reserve the right to approach the Supreme Court to appeal against Justice Sharma's decision.
