Harish Rao fires salvo at CM for making false river water claims

Hyderabad: BRS deputy leader T Harish Rao launched a scathing attack on Chief Minister Revanth Reddy on Sunday, demanding an immediate apology for allegedly misleading the Legislative Assembly regarding river water rights and major irrigation projects. Through a detailed PowerPoint presentation titled ‘Nadi Jalalu Congress Drohalu’ (River Waters: Congress Betrayals) at Telangana Bhavan, Rao accused the Chief Minister of selectively reading official documents to distort facts and target the BRS leadership.

Rao pointed out that the Andhra Pradesh government has recently refuted Revanth Reddy’s claims of personally halting the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Project. “The AP administration clarified that works were stopped solely due to a National Green Tribunal (NGT) stay order obtained by the BRS government in 2020,” Rao stated. He challenged the Chief Minister to resign if he has any “moral standing” for claiming credit for a legal victory secured by the KCR administration.

The BRS leader expressed deep concern over the Palamuru-Rangareddy project, alleging that the current government is neglecting it out of political vengeance.

By failing to complete canal works in Package-3, the government has denied the state the ability to store 50 TMC of water this year. Rao described this neglect as a “death warrant” for the farmers of Mahabubnagar.

Criticising the handling of the Kaleshwaram project, Rao argued that the government is deliberately keeping the Medigadda barrage idle for political mileage.

He asserted that with a modest investment of Rs 100 crore to Rs 200 crore for repairs, water could be supplied to over five lakh acres. “The government lacks the will to act, preferring to let Northern Telangana farmers suffer,” he charged.

Rao concluded by announcing that the BRS would launch a massive ‘Jala Poratam’ (water struggle) to protect Telangana’s interests. He vowed to take the fight to the “people’s court” to expose what he termed a historic and ongoing betrayal of the state’s river water rights by the Congress party.