The Chief Minister, Mr K. Rosaiah, while condemning the harsh treatment meted out by Maharashtra police to TD MLAs, gently ridiculed the TD chief, Mr Chandrababu Naidu, by pointing out that Babli and Almatti projects were initiated during Mr Naidu’s tenure way back in 1995, but he seemed to have woken up from slumber in 2010.

The Chief Minister also said Mr Naidu launched the agitation with an eye on the bypolls, and remarked that the TD chief perhaps wanted to stay back in Maharashtra to avoid campaigning for the party candidates in Telangana.

Mr Rosaiah expressed unhappiness at the union water resources minister, Mr P.K. Bansal, suggesting that chief ministers of both states should sit and sort out the controversy and said the Centre had to play a role in a federal set up.

“If we can sit and agree, what is the need for him (Mr Bansal)?” asked the Chief Minister. Meanwhile, the TD agitation has heightened interest in the next hearing of the Babli case in the Supreme Court on August 10.

In 2007, the SC had permitted Maharashtra to go ahead with the construction of the 65 TMC capacity barrage on the Godavari river but with a condition that the state authorities would not install any of the 13 proposed gates in the dam for releasing water till further orders.

Andhra Pradesh had filed a suit against Maharashtra saying that the construction would adversely affect the people of entire Telangana region. It also argued that the construction was against the 1980 Godavari Water Tribunal award.

However, lawyers of both sides do not expect any substantial turnaround in the next hearing unless a new application is filed.