Harish questions Revanth, Uttam's silence on AP's Godavari project
Harish Rao
alleged that the Andhra Pradesh govt was conspiring to divert 200 TMC from Godavari waters through the proposed Banakacherla Godavari link project.
He accused the Congress govt of remaining silent on the issue despite there being a major threat to the interests of Telangana.
He demanded that the Banakacherla project be halted immediately to prevent irreversible damage.
Harish Rao, who gave a PPT on the Banakacherla-Godavari scheme at Telangana Bhavan on Saturday, explained how the neighbouring state was swiftly taking up the project. The Centre, under the guise of interlinking rivers, is enabling Andhra Pradesh to divert water even without the completion of Polavaram.
"Despite all this, the Telangana govt has shown no urgency, no resistance," Harish said.
He said after the injustice faced in Krishna river waters, there is another threat in the form of the Banakacherla project. "While the AP govt is pushing ahead with tenders for this project, Telangana chief minister A
Revanth Reddy
and irrigation minister Uttam Kumar Reddy have chosen to remain silent," he alleged.
He criticised the Congress govt for focusing more on political vendetta than public welfare.
"They are busy filing false cases against KTR and BRS leaders. Sadly, the state's interests are being mortgaged for the sake of political power," he said.
Harish Rao said Telangana has eight BJP MPs, eight Congress MPs, and two Union ministers, yet no one is raising their voice. "Is their loyalty to Delhi more important than their responsibility towards Telangana?" he asked. Drawing a contrast, he recalled how Chandrababu Naidu once fought Maharashtra over just 2 TMC from the Babli project.
"Now, with 200 TMC on the line, shouldn't the Telangana govt be fighting even harder?" He alleged that Revanth Reddy is compromising state interests to protect his friendship with Chandrababu Naidu.
"If the state govt is serious, BRS is ready to support a resolution in the Assembly. But if you fail to act, we will launch a people's movement and pursue legal action," the former minister said.
On Uttam Kumar Reddy's letter, Harish said, "Today, I gave a presentation on the Banakacherla project. On the same day, Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy released a letter with yesterday's date. I thank him for responding at least after our presentation," said Harish Rao. He said writing letters is not enough. "If the minister is serious, he should ask the chief minister to demand an apex council meeting on Banakacherla. That is what the people of Telangana are expecting.
" He said Telangana needs action, not publicity. "Backdated letters won't protect our water. Only a strong stand will."
Follow more information on
Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here
. Get
real-time live updates
on rescue operations and check
full list of passengers onboard AI 171
.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
8 minutes ago
- Hans India
Lok Sabha Erupts As Amit Shah Introduces Bills To Remove Arrested Ministers
Home Minister Amit Shah sparked massive parliamentary uproar on Wednesday when he introduced three controversial bills in the Lok Sabha that would automatically remove Prime Ministers, Chief Ministers, and ministers from office if they remain in custody for 30 consecutive days on charges carrying minimum five-year jail terms. The proposed legislation includes the Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill. As Shah presented these measures, opposition MPs erupted in protest, tearing copies of the bills and hurling them toward the Home Minister while chanting "bill waapis lo" (withdraw the bill) slogans. Opposition parties have condemned the legislation as "draconian," arguing it would enable the government to destabilize opposition-ruled states through arbitrary arrests of their leaders. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi likened the bills to creating a "police state" and compared them to Hitler's Gestapo, claiming they would give executive agencies unchecked power to act as "judge and executioner." The confrontation intensified when Congress MP KC Venugopal challenged Shah's moral authority by referencing his own arrest in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case during his tenure as Gujarat Home Minister. Shah defended himself, stating he had resigned on moral grounds before his arrest and maintained no constitutional posts until a CBI court cleared him of all charges in 2014. Congress MP Manish Tewari criticized the bills as fundamentally destructive to the Constitution's basic structure, warning they would enable political misuse by state agencies. This comes amid recent Supreme Court concerns about central agencies, particularly the Enforcement Directorate, "crossing all limits" and being used for "political battles." Under the proposed legislation, removed officials could be reappointed once released from custody. The government's initiative follows past controversies involving leaders like former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Tamil Nadu minister V Senthil Balaji, who continued holding office while in jail. Currently, no provision exists to remove sitting ministers accused of serious crimes, making this legislation a significant constitutional change that has divided Parliament along party lines.
Indian Express
8 minutes ago
- Indian Express
‘Playing with Pakistan sends wrong message': Himachal Congress MLA Malender Rajan urges Indian cricket team to withdraw from Asia Cup
Himachal Pradesh Congress MLA Malender Rajan Wednesday demanded that the state Assembly pass a resolution urging the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to withdraw from the upcoming men's Asia Cup, citing Pakistan's participation. Raising the matter during Zero Hour in the Assembly, Rajan, the MLA from Indora constituency in Kangra district, said he recently learned that the BCCI has permitted the Indian cricket team to take part in the Asia Cup, where Pakistan is also a participant. 'The Government of India should have intervened in the matter, given the country's strained relations with Pakistan, which has been involved in terror attacks on Indian soil and recent border skirmishes,' he said. 'The decision of the BCCI to allow participation in a tournament alongside Pakistan is highly objectionable, considering Pakistan's track record. The Assembly should pass a resolution urging the BCCI and the Union government to cancel this permission,' Rajan added. He said allowing the Indian team to play in a tournament with Pakistan sends the wrong message at a time when relations remain bitter between the two nations. Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania said the matter will be sent to the government. Later, interacting with the media, referring to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, Rajan said, 'I raised this point in the interest of the country. It is about the sentiments of our people who lost their kin in Pakistani-sponsored terrorist attacks.' The Asia Cup, organised by the Asian Cricket Council, will be held from September 9 to 28 in the T20 format in the United Arab Emirates. India are set to play against Pakistan on September 14. The other teams in the fray are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, UAE, Oman and Hong Kong. The India-Pakistan diplomatic tension has already seen Pakistan's withdrawal from the Hockey Asia Cup to be held in Bihar from August 29 to September 7. Bangladesh will replace Pakistan in the tournament.
Economic Times
10 minutes ago
- Economic Times
NDA to launch joint organisational drive in Bihar to boost coordination
Synopsis As Rahul Gandhi leads the opposition's campaign in Bihar, the NDA is set to launch a joint organizational drive from October 23 to strengthen coordination among its constituents. The BJP and JD(U) will each head seven of the 14 committees formed to oversee workers' meetings across the state in two phases. ANI Giriraj Singh addresses the media Amid the opposition's campaign in Bihar led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, the ruling National Democratic Alliance is set to launch a joint organisational drive from October 23 to boost coordination among its constituents and synergise its push to retain power in the Bihar going to polls in October-November, the NDA has formed 14 committees and its two principal members, the BJP and the JD(U), will each head seven of with organising workers' meetings at different places across the state, the alliance leaders of these groups will oversee programmes in two phases, first from August 23 to August 25, and then from August 28 to August members of these committee, sources said, include names from three other NDA parties -- Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), and Rashtriya Lok leaders heading the committees are deputy chief ministers Samrat Chaudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, its state president Dilip Kumar Jaiswal, Union ministers Giriraj Singh and Nityanad Rai, state minister Mangal Pandey, and Lok Sabha MP Sanjay Jaiswal. The seven JD(U) leaders in charge of the committees include the party's national working president Sanjay Jha, Union minister Ram Nath Thakur, its state president Umesh Singh Kushwaha, and state ministers Vijay Chaudhary, Shrawon Kumar, Ashok Choudhary and Ratnesh the 14 committees, the sources added, will have seven members each, including MPs and state ministers, as the alliance looks to rally workers from its different constituents in its bid to repulse the challenge from the RJD-Congress-Left workers' meetings will be held at 83 locations to cover the entire stretch of Bihar, which has 243 Assembly seats, through six joint meetings of the alliance workers come amid the ongoing public campaign by Rahul Gandhi against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state by the Election Commission, with the Congress MP and his Bihar allies accusing the poll watchdog of "vote chori" in collusion with the collective meetings will also help unite workers of different parties for a common purpose and build an overarching narrative, something that was missing to some extent in the 2020 polls when the Lok Janshakti Party headed by Union minister Chirag Paswan walked away and inflicted serious damage on the JD(U)'s single-minded attack on the party headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had strained its ties with the BJP, leading the JD(U) leader to sever ties with the saffron party in August 2022 before he returned to the NDA in January 2024. NDA leaders said they will launch a big people outreach programme following these meetings, expressing confidence that the perception created by the opposition that the SIR is aimed at denying voting rights to the electorate will not cut much ice once the electoral rolls are finalised.
