Roja Slams Pawan Kalyan: When Chandrababu Backstabs, Are You Handing Him the Knife?

The political temperature in Andhra Pradesh continues to soar as the YSRCP cornered ruling alliance over the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation project. Former minister and YSRCP leader RK Roja has unleashed a blistering attack on Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, accusing them of deception, betrayal, and deliberate neglect of Rayalaseema.

Roja alleged that betrayal and backstabbing are not accidental traits for Chandrababu and Pawan Kalyan, but skills they have “mastered over time.” She charged the ruling coalition with committing a historic injustice to Rayalaseema by abandoning the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Project, which the previous YSR Congress Party government had taken up with serious intent under Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.

According to Roja, while the Jagan-led government treated the lift irrigation project as a lifeline for the drought-prone region, the current coalition has “quietly buried it.” She questioned why Rayalaseema is being treated with such contempt and neglect, despite repeated promises made to the region’s people.

Turning her fire on Pawan Kalyan, Roja mocked his claims of being “born and raised in Rayalaseema,” asking why the Deputy Chief Minister has remained silent on the shelving of a project critical to the region’s survival. “When Chandrababu is stabbing Rayalaseema in the back, is Pawan merely watching—or is he handing over the knife?” she asked, in a pointed remark.

Roja further accused Chandrababu of sacrificing Rayalaseema’s interests to safeguard his assets and political equations in Hyderabad. She alleged that after ruling the state for over a decade in different phases, Chandrababu now appears determined to push Andhra Pradesh into irrelevance, repeating the same policies that, she claimed, had already weakened the state.

The former minister also launched a fierce attack on the state police, making controversial remarks that have sparked debate. She alleged that the police force has become a tool in the hands of the ruling party, accusing it of foisting false cases and acting as a political agent rather than a neutral law enforcement body. Citing a recent central government report, Roja claimed that the Andhra Pradesh police ranks at the bottom nationally, which, she said, exposes the true state of governance and accountability.

Roja’s remarks underline the deepening political divide in Andhra Pradesh, with Rayalaseema’s water crisis emerging as a central flashpoint. As accusations grow sharper, the silence of the ruling leadership on these charges is only adding fuel to an already volatile political confrontation.

Also read: Chandrababu’s Betrayal of Rayalaseema Exposed: Will CBN Respond?