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New Indian Express
5 hours ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
BJP behind Eatala's ‘change of heart', says govt whip
HYDERABAD: Congress MLA and government whip Aadi Srinivas on Saturday expressed his disappointment over former minister Eatala Rajender's 'failure to expose' alleged corruption in the execution of Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS). Addressing the media at the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) office, he said that contrary to expectations, Rajender did not reveal BRS president and former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's involvement in the alleged scam while deposing before the PC Ghose Commission of Inquiry on Kaleshwaram. Srinivas alleged that the BRS and BJP were working hand in glove and said that was evident from Rajender's testimony before the Commission. The Congress MLA tried to highlight how Union minister and state BJP chief G Kishan Reddy had also previously asserted that Rajender would reveal crucial details about KLIS to the Commission. He pointed out that prominent BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, had described Kaleshwaram as an 'ATM' for KCR's family and demanded an inquiry into the project. Srinivas also recalled Rajender's earlier statements, in which he labelled KCR as the 'whole and sole' of the Kaleshwaram project and called for the then CM's resignation. He alleged that the BJP was behind Rajender's change of heart and his current contradictory stance on Kaleshwaram.
New Indian Express
5 hours ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Eatala lied about KLIS, project never got Cabinet nod: Thummala
HYDERABAD: Agriculture Minister Thummala Nageswara Rao on Saturday dropped a political bombshell, accusing BJP MP Eatala Rajender of lying before the Justice PC Ghose Commission over the approval process for the Kaleshwaram project. He stated that the project was never approved by the state Cabinet during the BRS regime and was instead taken up through an executive order. Speaking to reporters at the Secretariat, Nageswara Rao called Rajender's deposition before the Kaleshwaram commission on Friday a 'bundle of lies.' 'The Cabinet never approved the construction of the Kaleshwaram project. Only the revised estimates came up for discussion, three years after construction had already begun. The decision to build Kaleshwaram was not collective. Let him show even one document that proves the Cabinet sanctioned it,' the minister asserted. Both served as ministers in the first BRS government. Nageswara Rao also challenged the BJP MP to prove his claim that a Cabinet sub-committee, comprising Harish, Nageswara Rao and Rajender, gave the green signal for the project. The minister said he would submit all relevant documents to the Ghose panel, which is probing alleged irregularities in the construction of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme. 'No sub-panel formed for Kaleshwaram proj' Nageswara Rao clarified that the sub-committee mentioned by Rajender was not constituted for the Kaleshwaram project at all. 'It was formed 15 days after the Medigadda project was sanctioned, only to study ongoing irrigation schemes like Devadula, Kanthanapally, Pranahita and Flood Flow Canal,' he explained. 'The committee met only two or three times and submitted project-specific reports. At no point did we recommend the construction of Kaleshwaram or its barrages,' Nageswara Rao added.
The Hindu
18 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Eatala Rajender shielding KCR in Kaleshwaram probe: Congress
The ruling Congress leaders, including Government Whip Aadi Srinivas, have slammed BJP MP from Malkajgiri and former Finance Minister Eatala Rajender, accusing him of attempting to shield former Chief Minister and BRS chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao in the probe into the irregularities in the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS) during his appearance before Justice P.C. Ghose Commission. The Vemulawada MLA said that it has now become evident that the merger of BJP and BRS would be a reality sooner or later. Speaking to the media at CLP media point here on Saturday, the Vemulawada MLA has charged Mr. Rajender, the finance minister in the KCR Cabinet, with trying to assist his former boss come out clean from the charges he is facing in the execution of the KLIS. 'Mr. Rajender did not disclose the truth, though everyone anticipated that he would spill the beans before the commission. Even BJP leaders, including Union Minister Kishan Reddy, said that Mr. Rajender would reveal the truth behind the KLIS,' Mr. Srinivas said, reminding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party chief JP Nadda had also accused Mr. Rao and his family of using the Kaleshwaram project as an ATM. 'The BJP leaders demanded several times to order a probe into the KLIS fraud. Mr. Rajender himself also stated that Mr. Rao did everything concerning the KLIS. But Mr. Rajender had deposed before the commission contradicting his statements,' the MLA said, questioning his u-turn. 'As BRS leader Kavitha already said that there was an understanding between BJP and BRS, now this has been proved again with Mr. Rajender's statement, ' the MLA said, demanding an explanation from BJP leaders Mr. Kishan Reddy and Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Rajender's statement. Meanwhile, Choppadandi MLA Medipally Sathyam also made similar comments against Mr. Rajender. 'It seems as if he is going to the BRS,' he alleged.
New Indian Express
a day ago
- Business
- New Indian Express
'Entire cabinet' took call on barrage sites, former finance minister Eatala tells Kaleshwaram panel
HYDERABAD: BJP MP and former finance minister Eatala Rajender on Friday told the Justice PC Ghose Commission of Inquiry that the decision to construct the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project, including the selection of barrage sites, was taken collectively by the 'entire Cabinet' and not by the Finance department. The commission posed 19 questions to Rajender and cross-examined him for 20 minutes. The Kaleshwaram Commission has summoned Rajender, former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and former Irrigation minister T Harish Rao for cross-examination. Harish Rao is scheduled to appear before the Commission on June 9 and KCR on June 11. Rajender, who served as finance minister from June 2014 to December 2018 during the BRS regime, told the commission that although a barrage was initially proposed at Tummidihetti with an estimated cost of `38,000 crore, it was later shifted to Medigadda due to objections raised by the Central Water Commission (CWC) and the Maharashtra government. He explained that Maharashtra had objected to the submergence of a large area, including a wildlife sanctuary, within its territory. The neighbouring state had also insisted on reducing the height of the Tummidihetti barrage from 152 metres to 148 metres. 'Project cost escalated following ryots' additional demands' Rajender said the government had planned to allocate 30 tmcft of water for urban drinking purposes, 15 tmcft for industrial use and another 10 tmcft for rural drinking water needs, in addition to targeting irrigation for 16.5 lakh acres. As the water availability at Tummidihetti was insufficient to meet these requirements, the source was shifted to Medigadda. He further stated that a Cabinet sub-committee — comprising the then Irrigation minister T Harish Rao, R&B minister Thummala Nageswara Rao and himself — was constituted by the then chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to vet the technical committee's report on the project and present it to the Cabinet.
New Indian Express
a day ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
TPCC chief accuses Eatala of shielding KCR, demands BJP clarify stand on Kaleshwaram corruption
HYDERABAD: Levelling serious corruption allegations against former BRS leader and ex-finance minister Eatala Rajender, who is now a BJP MP, after he deposed before PC Ghose Commission that is investigating the alleged irregularities in Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS), TPCC president B Mahesh Kumar Goud on Friday demanded that the saffron party clarify if Rajender's statement. According to him, it was in favour of former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's family -- was personal one or party's official stance. In a press statement issued here, Mahesh Goud said that Rajender 'downplayed' KCR's role in the project, stating that the latter had tried to shift responsibility onto the state Cabinet, claiming that the decisions regarding KLIS were made collectively. Mahesh Goud said that it was absurd on the part of Rajender, who held the Finance portfolio during the BRS regime, to distance himself from the financial decisions made during that period. 'The whole country knows that there was massive corruption in the Kaleshwaram project,' he said. 'Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah repeatedly stated that the Kaleshwaram project turned into an 'ATM' for the KCR family. Yet, Rajender's statement today clearly indicates collusion between him and KCR,' he added. The TPCC chief raised further concerns, questioning whether BJP leaders were also involved in the alleged corruption and whether Rajender's statement was somehow linked to kickbacks from the project. He demanded that the BJP clarify if these were the personal views of Rajender or part of the party's official policy. He suggested that Rajender's support for KCR was likely due to his own involvement in the Kaleshwaram project. He went on to criticize Rajender's claim that the estimates for the project had been revised due to public pressure. He expressed disbelief, implying that Rajender was still loyal to KCR and his party. 'Rajender has effectively acted as an advocate for KCR. It appears that KCR, Harish Rao, and Rajender have all conspired to give the same answers when questioned,' he added.
