Centre buckled under BRS pressure

Hyderabad:Following announcement by the Centre setting up of Turmeric Board and Tribal University due to relentless fight by the BRS, the latter leaders are campaigning that it was because of their pressure and target the BJP over delay caused all these years.

The BRS leaders said the party and the State government have been insisting on forming a tribunal for distribution of the Krishna water as per Section 3 of the Inter-state River Water Disputes Act 1956 since the State formation.

The leaders pointed out that the first letter written was on July 14, 2014. The Centre ordered for an inquiry as per Section 89, which was opposed by Telangana.

Senior BRS leader and Telangana Planning Board vice- chairman B Vinod Kumar said in 2018, the inquiry was limited to Telangana. With the Centre not forming a tribunal, the State government filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court in 2015.

Vinod said the Centre delayed its decision again in the name of the case and wanted the State government to withdraw the case. The government withdrew the case in June 2021, but the Centre took two more years. The BJP leaders should answer why it took two years to take a decision.

He said there was no role for the Centre in providing a justifiable share of Telangana. “Telangana lost justifiable share in the Krishna for decades. We expect that with the decision of the Centre, the process of distribution and share is completed soon,” said Vinod.

The BRS leader said the BJP with an eye on election had announced the long pending election promises at the fag-end of the Central rule.

Said BRS legislstor A Jeevan Reddy, “the BJP MP D Arvind who gave a bond paper to bring the Turmeric Board after winning, totally ignored it. He went on to say the Spice Board which had more value than Turmeric Board will be set up, but now took a u-turn and came up with turmeric board,”

The party leaders also questioned the delay in the formation of Tribal university. “The Centre has alleged that the State government had not given land but they started the tribal university in AP in a small premises, which shows their double standards,” said a BRS leader.

The BJP leaders have no chance to come to power in Telangana; hence they are resorting to such announcements, the same way what the Congress did by announcing a separate State before elections with no other option left. It would only help the BRS which fought for the cause, opined the BRS leaders.