Cabinet scrambles to counter KCR’s criticism on irrigation issues

Congress ministers on Monday dismissed BRS chief K Chandrashekhar Rao’s criticism on Krishna water sharing and irrigation projects, alleging he was speaking only to protect his party interests and not out of concern for the Palamuru Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme.

Hyderabad: A day after BRS chief K Chandrashekhar Rao ripped apart the Congress government for its failures in different sectors, Cabinet Ministers scrambled to put up a semblance of defence and sought to counter the criticism, arguing that KCR had begun speaking only to protect his party interests and not out of concern for the River Krishna water share.

Three ministers, Jupally Krishna Rao, Ponnam Prabhakar and V Srihari, who addressed a press conference on Monday, argued that the BRS party had weakened and that KCR had come out only to save his party and not out of any concern for the Palamuru Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme.

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They charged that the BJP-led Union government was not supporting the Telangana government. Despite it being its responsibility, the Union government was not supplying fertilisers as per the State’s requirement, they said.

BC Welfare Minister Prabhakar claimed that people were supporting the Congress government, impressed with its governance and implementation of welfare and development programmes. “In a democracy, only people have the right to dethrone an elected government and not political leaders. If the BRS chief feels the Congress government has failed in delivering good governance, he can expose us in the Assembly,” Prabhakar said.

Animal Husbandry Minister V Srihari charged that, with the intention of completing the Kaleshwaram project early, the BRS government had neglected the PRLI scheme. The BRS chief was enacting dramas in the guise of launching agitations over the delay in the PRLI scheme, he added.