BRS demands Telangana to boycott Delhi meet on river disputes

BRS Legislature Party deputy leader T Harish Rao demanded that the Congress government boycott the Delhi meeting on river water disputes, alleging pressure from Andhra Pradesh and warning that Telangana’s Godavari water interests were at serious risk without clear safeguards.

Hyderabad: BRS Legislature Party deputy leader T Harish Rao on Wednesday demanded that the Congress government boycott the river water disputes meeting between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh officials scheduled in Delhi. He said the Revanth Reddy administration was compromising the State’s interests to benefit Andhra Pradesh.

Addressing a press conference at Telangana Bhavan, Harish Rao said the meeting, convened by the Central government, was being held under pressure from Andhra Pradesh and was part of efforts to push forward the controversial Nallamala Sagar project. He warned that Telangana risked losing a substantial share of its Godavari waters if the State participated without clear safeguards.

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The former Irrigation Minister found fault with the State government for sending officials to a meeting that was dubbed as a meeting to resolve river water disputes, but was part of a larger conspiracy to facilitate Andhra Pradesh’s irrigation projects. He questioned why Telangana was attending without any assurances from Andhra Pradesh to its conditions, including halting DPR processing and approval procedures related to Nallamala Sagar.

Harish Rao said the Revanth Reddy government had shown a pattern of systematic cooperation with Andhra Pradesh on projects such as Polavaram and Nallamala Sagar. He observed that Telangana’s objections were being diluted through weak legal and administrative responses, including a weak writ filed in the Supreme Court earlier, which was later withdrawn.

He also criticised the choice of officials representing Telangana at the meeting, pointing out that Government Advisor Adityanath Das had earlier worked in the Andhra Pradesh government against Telangana’s irrigation projects. He argued that sending such officials amounted to acting against the State’s interests.

Harish Rao contrasted the Congress government’s approach with that of the previous BRS regime under K Chandrashekhar Rao. He said the BRS government had secured clearances for multiple projects on the Godavari River and expanded irrigation significantly through initiatives such as the Kaleshwaram project and Mission Kakatiya, which were praised in the latest Economic Survey 2025-26 report. However, he said not a single new DPR had been effectively advanced in the past two years, while previously submitted DPRs had been returned.

Calling the situation a historic betrayal, the BRSLP deputy leader said Telangana’s interests should take precedence over politics. He urged the government to immediately withdraw from the Delhi meeting unless written guarantees were obtained protecting Telangana’s water rights. He warned that the BRS would not remain silent if the State’s share of river waters was compromised and signalled that the party was prepared to launch a renewed agitation to safeguard Telangana’s irrigation interests.