Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, YSRCP chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy accused Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu of attempting to steal credit for the Pula Subbaiah Veligonda Project ahead of its Phase-1 inauguration. Taking to X, Jagan stated that while Naidu only laid the initial foundation stone, the true vision belonged to the late YS Rajasekhara Reddy, and the critical twin tunnels were completed under the YSRCP regime.

Jagan asserted that Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu belongs solely to the foundation stone of the Veligonda project, while its vision and concrete execution belong to YS Rajasekhara Reddy and the YSRCP government. Jagan pointed out that after laying the foundation stone in March 1996, Naidu spent only eleven lakh rupees on the project over the next eight years. He accused Naidu of engaging in publicity stunts and credit theft by re-inaugurating a project whose critical twin tunnels were completed and dedicated to the nation by the YSRCP administration in March 2024.

YS Jagan detailed the timeline of the project:

Detailing the construction timeline across different regimes, Jagan emphasized that the 37.58-kilometer twin tunnels serve as the lifeline for carrying Krishna River waters to Nallamala Sagar. Under the YSR era, full project execution was initiated under Jalayagnam, completing 20.33 kilometers of tunnel excavation alongside three dams, a feeder canal, and main distribution networks. During the subsequent TDP tenure from 2014 to 2019, only 6.68 kilometers were excavated without achieving a single tunnel breakthrough. Finally, during the YSRCP tenure from 2019 to 2024, the government completed the remaining 10.56 kilometers of complex tunneling despite pandemic challenges, achieving final breakthroughs for Tunnel-1 in January 2021 and Tunnel-2 in January 2024.

Jagan questioned why the current government delayed delivering water to Nallamala Sagar and completing the Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R&R) package for displaced families over the past two years. He urged the state government to immediately fill Nallamala Sagar to supply irrigation water to farmers and clean drinking water to fluoride-affected villages. Additionally, he demanded the prompt completion of the 131-bed Super Speciality Hospital at Peddadornala and the Government Medical College at Markapuram without pushing for privatization.