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Hans India
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Banakacherla Brouhaha… Harish taunts Revanth, says he is a ‘virus of lies'
Hyderabad: Referring to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy as a 'virus of lies', BRS senior leader T Harish Rao on Wednesday dared the Chief Minister to convene Assembly sessions to discuss the Banakacherla project issue, on condition that microphones and cameras are not disconnected. Addressing a press conference at Telangana Bhavan, Harish Rao launched a salvo at Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and Uttam Kumar Reddy. He alleged that there was a secret deal between Revanth Reddy and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu over the Godavari-Banakacherla project at Pragathi Bhavan. He further alleged that Revanth Reddy betrayed Telangana's water rights to fulfil his political obligations, referring to it as 'guru dakshina'. Harish Rao challenged Revanth Reddy to an open debate in the Assembly, daring him not to cut microphones or turn away cameras. Harish Rao said people expected responsible statements from a Chief Minister, but Revanth Reddy repeatedly misled them, both as an opposition leader and now as Chief Minister. He stated that the BRS was the party that achieved statehood and prioritised the interests of Telangana, and accused Revanth Reddy and his government of diverting from people's issues towards political mudslinging. He questioned why all MLAs were not invited if the PowerPoint presented by Revanth Reddy was truly official. He further questioned whether the presentation was prepared by Telangana officials or Andhra Pradesh officials, as it appeared to favour Andhra Pradesh's interests. Rao challenged Revanth Reddy to publicly show letters or any proof of action taken against Chandrababu Naidu's Banakacherla project. He accused Chandrababu Naidu of historically obstructing Kaleshwaram, Palamuru, Dindi, Tummilla, and Bhakta Ramadasu projects, yet noted that these crucial facts were deliberately omitted from Revanth Reddy's presentation. Rao warned Revanth Reddy that his arrogance would ultimately lead to his downfall. 'Technically, Revanth Reddy is a Congress Chief Minister, but his heart still belongs to the TDP. On 6 July 2024, Chandrababu Naidu was secretly invited to Pragathi Bhavan by Revanth Reddy to finalise the Godavari-Banakacherla deal under the guise of bifurcation promises. On 13 September 2024, Uttam Kumar Reddy and his wife met Chandrababu Naidu in Vijayawada, supported Banakacherla, and returned after enjoying local delicacies,' said Rao. Rao further claimed that on 15 November 2024, Chandrababu Naidu wrote to Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, requesting cooperation for the Andhra Pradesh-Godavari-Banakacherla link. Again, on 31 December 2024, Chandrababu Naidu requested Rs 80,000 crore for the Banakacherla project. Revanth Reddy, he alleged, remained silent and acted unaware while Andhra Pradesh planned these conspiracies. He recalled that the BRS was the first to expose Banakacherla publicly on 24 January 2025, challenging the Congress government. He claimed the word 'Banakacharla' never appeared in the Apex Council agenda, which, according to him, exposed Revanth Reddy's lies. He stated that the Banakacherla DPR clearly mentions diverting Krishna waters too. He offered to debate water issues with Uttam Kumar Reddy openly in the Assembly. Finally, he asked Revanth Reddy to change his ways, stop betraying Telangana's water interests, and warned him to avoid making Telangana's betrayal his permanent legacy.
Time of India
07-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
As charges swirl, KLIS duel boils over
Hyderabad: Irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy slammed former minister T Harish Rao , alleging that Telangana's irrigation sector suffered irreversible damage due to the faulty decisions made by the BRS govt. He demanded Harish Rao tender an unconditional apology for misleading the people of the state on the Kaleshwaram project. In a statement on Saturday, Uttam refuted the allegations levelled by Harish Rao and claimed that after the BRS govt inaugurated the project in 2019, only 162 TMC of water was lifted, of which 63 TMC was released into the sea. He demanded an answer from Harish on how the BRS govt managed to irrigate 22 lakh acres with just 99 TMC. "The BRS govt took out rallies after their delegation returned from Maharashtra and announced that a barrage would be constructed at Thummidihatti. A gravity canal was also constructed from Thummidihatti to Yellampally, covering a distance of 100 km. While that was a gravity-based project, Kaleshwaram relies on reverse pumping — only to release a huge quantity of water into sea," the minister claimed. He also dismissed allegations that the previous Congress govt had spent very little on the Pranahitha-Chevella project. He said before the formation of state, 6,156 crore was spent on the project and by 2016, it rose to 11,679 crore. The minister further said the Central Water Commission had never claimed there was no water availability at Thummidithatti. He said that had the BRS govt completed the project at the site with about 38,000 crore, it could have irrigated 17 lakh acres of new ayacut up to Chevella — eliminating the need for 1 lakh crore for the Kaleshwaram project. Of the remaining amount of 62,000 crore (if Pranahitha-Chevella was taken up with 38,000 cr), the govt could have completed many projects such as Palamuru, Nettampadu, Bheema, SLBC, Dindi, Sitharama, and other projects, Uttam claimed. He further said the govt was paying 16,000 crore in interest on the loans taken by the BRS govt for the Kaleshwaram project.
