logo
KCR's policy allowed Andhra Pradesh to pursue G-B project: TPCC chief

KCR's policy allowed Andhra Pradesh to pursue G-B project: TPCC chief

HYDERABAD: TPCC president B Mahesh Kumar Goud on Thursday alleged that former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and former minister T Harish Rao pursued a lopsided policy during the BRS regime, which allowed the Andhra Pradesh government to go ahead with the Godavari-Banakacherla (G-B) project, harming Telangana's interests.
Addressing the media, Mahesh Goud alleged that KCR, during a visit to former minister RK Roja's residence in AP, had promised to turn Rayalaseema into 'Ratanalaseema' while compromising Telangana's share in Godavari waters.
The TPCC chief also targeted the BJP for not appointing a BC leader as its state president, asserting that 'only the Congress consistently implements social justice nationwide.'
He mocked Union minister G Kishan Reddy's 'fevicol bond' with KCR and credited CM Revanth Reddy's efforts for the Centre's rejection of the plea by AP for Terms of Reference (ToR) for environmental impact assessment for the Banakacherla project.
When asked about Jadcherla MLA Janampalli Anirudh Reddy's claim that 'Chandrababu Naidu's coverts exist in Telangana,' the TPCC chief said the party's Disciplinary Action Committee will look into the issue.
The TPCC chief, meanwhile, slammed BRS MLC K Kavitha for writing to AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge on BC reservations, questioning when she began speaking for Backward Classes. 'She never raised her voice for BCs during the 10-year rule of BRS,' he said.
He further reminded her that it was her father and former CM K Chandrasekhar Rao who had reduced BC reservations in local bodies. 'Why was she silent then? Why this sudden concern for BCs now?' he asked.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

File defamation case against Konda Surekha, orders court
File defamation case against Konda Surekha, orders court

Hans India

time6 minutes ago

  • Hans India

File defamation case against Konda Surekha, orders court

Hyderabad: The Special Judicial Magistrate of First Class at Nampally Court on Saturday directed the Hyderabad police to register a criminal defamation case against Telangana Forest Minister Konda Surekha in connection with a petition filed by BRS working president K T Rama Rao against her. Court found sufficient grounds to proceed under Section 356 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which addresses criminal defamation, in conjunction with procedural provisions under Sections 222 and 223. Last year KTR filed a criminal defamation case against Surekha in the Nampally Court. KTR has sought criminal action against Surekha, citing her baseless and malicious remarks aimed at tarnishing his reputation. KTR, in his plea, emphasised that such actions cannot go unchecked, as they not only cause personal damage but also undermine reputation. KTR highlighted that this is not the first time Konda Surekha has indulged in such defamatory actions. He reminded the court that Surekha had previously been reprimanded by the Election Commission for similar baseless remarks. Her repeated violations of decorum, he argued, reflect a deliberate attempt to harm his reputation through a pattern of malicious behavior. KTR's petition followed Surekha's comments few days prior his petition that KTR was the reason behind the divorce of Tollywood actor couple Naga Chaitanya and Samantha. She went on to say that KTR was addicted to drugs and used to host rave parties. The court ordered the registration of a criminal case against Surekha and mandated that a notice be served to her on or before August 21. The court also addressed objections regarding the admissibility of a pen drive submitted as evidence by KTR. Surekha's team argued that a Section 65-B certificate under the Indian Evidence Act was required for electronic evidence. The court ruled that this requirement was premature at the current stage and could be addressed during the trial's evidence phase, ensuring that the electronic material would be evaluated per legal procedures. The court concluded that the evidence and testimonies established a prima facie case of a punishable offense under the BNS provisions.

Revisiting Chola grandeur with eyes wide open
Revisiting Chola grandeur with eyes wide open

Indian Express

timean hour ago

  • Indian Express

Revisiting Chola grandeur with eyes wide open

Once again, public discourse is abuzz with the legacies of the Cholas — thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visit to Gangaikonda Cholapuram, their erstwhile capital. The Cholas occupy a hallowed space in Indian imagination for their pioneering experiments in democracy, but one needs to look beyond their basilica-like monuments, gilded Natarajas and temple vimanas (the towering structure above the inner sanctum) piercing the skylines of Thanjavur, Gangaikonda Cholapuram, and Darasuram. From an intellectual standpoint, the political rhetoric around the Cholas seems to overshadow the works of historians like K A N Sastri, R C Majumdar, B D Chattopadhyaya, R Champakalakshmi, Ranabir Chakravarti, Y Subbarayalu, Jonathan Heitzman, Hermann Kulke, Tansen Sen, Rakesh Mahalakshmi, Noboru Karashima, Anirudh Kanisetti, etc. Relatively forgotten by nationalists, the Cholas underwent an image makeover around the 1930s. Kanisetti says Sastri and Majumdar found romanticised examples of enlightened Chola imperialism to counter Britain's pride in its Roman past. Unsurprisingly, Kalki Krishnamurthy's novel Ponniyin Selvan (1950-54) edified Chola king Rajaraja I as an amalgamation of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and C Rajagopalachari. While most historians date the Cholas between the 9-13th century, ambitious ones have gone back to the Sangam period (between 350 BC and 1279 AD). In the latter periodisation, the Tamil confederacy was defeated by Kalinga in 155 BC, and re-emerged in 850 AD under Vijayalaya, who, with Pallava approval and Velir solidarity, seized Thanjavur. His grandson Parantaka-I vanquished the Pandyas and Pallavas, before being defeated by the Rashtrakutas. Parantaka's grandson Raja Raja Chola-I and great-grandson Rajendra Chola-I came to personify what made the Chola Empire a subject of unwavering awe — their towering temples, intricate bronzes, maritime prowess and administrative infrastructure. History enthusiasts are generally captivated by Chola polity's three-tiered system, constituted by nadu (supra-village), ur (village) and brahmadeya (Brahminical agrahara) assemblies, with nagarams (merchant-towns) governed by nagarattars. Simultaneously, Chola temples emerged as economic hubs endowed with devadana (land grants), and empowered as rheostats of irrigation and artisanal production. Remarkable as Cholas were in record-keeping — from the minutiae of irrigation-tank maintenance to rice-paddy yields — they were also a regime obsessed with surveillance. Wordy deeds codified brahmadeya, devadana and duties of village assemblies. State-appointed naduvagai ceyvars (accountants) and kankani nayakas (overseers) ensured that communal decisions aligned with royal revenue imperatives. Rigorous audits reviewed revenue targets and exemptions, wherein every remission required centralised ratification. Much euphoria has revolved around the concept of Chola elections by kudavolai (lottery) among the local committees. These offered a democratic veneer, but the franchise remained narrowly circumscribed within clannish coteries, while state commissioners retained veto power. Chola patronage of merchant guilds (ayyavole and manigramam) forged expansive trade-relations with South-East Asia and Sung China, while ships requisitioned from those guilds enlarged Chola warrior fleets. Revenues were reploughed for naval expansion in a commercial empire spanning over 2,200 miles — from Bengal to Sri Lanka and the Malay Archipelago. Here lies a well-concealed narrative of Chola supremacy, of profit-driven plunder. The Lankan chronicle Culavamsa recounts desecrated temples and monastic reliquaries around the 10th-11th century, around the time when Rajaraja-I and Rajendra-I's Lankan and South-East Asian raids targeted portable wealth, comprising temple treasuries, in the name of territorial expansion. Chola naval ascendancy clubbed martial hegemony with mercantile collaboration, provisioning warships, recruiting mariners and amassing siege-equipment without democratic will. This was at odds with the dharmic ideal of righteous rule. Though 11th-century Chola navies realigned trade from the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean, their profits were not redistributed for the upkeep of coastal nagarams. The Cholas were not classical democrats. The real reason behind their return to public discourse is not democracy but the same political impulse that led Margaret Thatcher to turn to the Victorians, or the Victorians to turn to the Greeks. There is no need to shy away from marvelling at the fluid grace of a bronze dancing Shiva from Chola times. Indians, like the Greeks, Britons and Americans, too deserve to celebrate their antiquity's heritage. But an uncritical historicism marks the vanity of present-day ideologues while concealing past foibles. One cannot help but also ruminate on the fact that back in 1940, Vedic scholar Justice T Paramasiva Iyer revealed that in the 10th and 11th centuries, during the reign of Rajaraja-I, Rajendra-I and Kulottunga-I, the supposed location of the Ram Setu was shifted from the Korkai harbour to its currently famed site at Adam's Bridge. The consecration of the Rameswaram lingam at the Rameswaram temple officiated a new tradition of Vaishnavite and Shaivite synergism in southern India. Political pundits may feel tempted to join the dots keeping in mind that a 21st-century history of the Cholas is also a history of the present. The writer teaches at O P Jindal Global University and is the author of The Great Indian Railways, Indians in London and Adam's Bridge

Hyderabad has wherewithal to host 2036 Olympics: CM
Hyderabad has wherewithal to host 2036 Olympics: CM

Hans India

time2 hours ago

  • Hans India

Hyderabad has wherewithal to host 2036 Olympics: CM

Hyderabad: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Saturday affirmed his overwhelming commitment to promote sports and assured appropriate budget allocations to help Telangana emerge as a vibrant hub for all aspiring sportspersons. Following India's bid to host the 2036 Olympics, he pointed out that Hyderabad not only has the wherewithal to host the mother of all sporting events, but it would also be extended all-round support to help secure the maximum medals for India. The Chief Minister, who unveiled a new state sports policy during the sports conclave at HICC, emphasised that the decision to come up with the new policy was arrived at after in-depth deliberations. Moreover, there was no sports policy until now, a lacuna that the Congress government wanted to rectify and provide platforms to all budding athletes. 'The youth is going astray in the absence of a sports policy. In recent times, drug and marijuana cases have increased significantly in Telangana. We have formed Eagle Force to control drugs and marijuana. There is a danger that many youngsters may turn into addicts. We are bringing a sports policy so that sportspersons from Telangana can compete with the world and win laurels for the country. To reduce political interference in sports, there will be a sports policy in public and private partnership, involving experts from diverse fields as stakeholders. The state government plays a limited role in this matter,' he explained. Accusing the BRS regime of converting sports grounds into function halls, Revanth Reddy recalled how the national football team that finished fourth in the 1956 Olympics at Melbourne boasted of nine players from Hyderabad. 'Many players like Mohd Azharuddin, VVS Laxman, Ravikanth Reddy, Siraj, Nikat Zareen and Deepti represent Telangana. We have sent a clear message that the state government recognises not only academics but also excellence in sports. Owing to the negligence of the previous government, sports grounds have become function halls. They have become venues for events and sunburn parties,' he said.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store