Telugu Desam Parliamentary Party leader and Lok Sabha floor leader Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu has urged the Centre to hold comprehensive discussions in Parliament on river interlinking, cybercrime, social media abuse and key development issues concerning Andhra Pradesh.
Speaking to mediapersons after attending the all-party meeting convened by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi on Sunday, Devarayalu said Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had consistently advocated the interlinking of rivers as a long-term solution to drought and water scarcity. In view of the prevailing El Niño conditions and deficient rainfall, he called for a national debate on the issue with the participation of all political parties.
The MP sought the early implementation of the Godavari-Penna river-linking project and urged the Centre to reduce feed costs for aqua farmers, stating that raw material prices had risen sharply due to the West Asia crisis. He also sought a discussion on the distress faced by tobacco growers following the sharp fall in prices and called for a special plan to develop Rayalaseema as a horticulture hub.
Devarayalu also urged Parliament to hold a short-duration discussion on character assassination through social media, saying politicians, celebrities and ordinary citizens alike were becoming victims of malicious online campaigns. He called for stringent legislation to curb social media abuse and sought tougher action against mule accounts, shell companies and cyber frauds.
Highlighting Andhra Pradesh’s infrastructure priorities, he said the state government aimed to complete the first phase of the Polavaram irrigation project by March 2027 before taking up the second phase. He said the government had identified 36 irrigation projects worth ₹60,000 crore and was seeking Central assistance to complete them before the next Assembly elections.
Devarayalu said Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu had directed Telugu Desam MPs to strongly raise irrigation issues during the ongoing Parliament session to secure faster approvals and funding. He also expressed confidence that the Women’s Reservation Bill and the delimitation exercise would receive Parliament’s approval.
Condemning the recent attack on a woman in Guntur, Devarayalu demanded exemplary punishment for those responsible. He also called for stringent action against those indulging in violence in the name of religion or caste and criticised the YSR Congress for opposing the Centre’s notification recognising Amaravati as the state’s capital.
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