Dasoju Sravan accuses Congress, BJP of political drama over drought in Telangana

BRS MLC Dasoju Sravan demanded Rs 20,000 crore in drought relief from the Centre and a rubber dam at Kannepalli. He accused the Congress and BJP of political theatrics, questioned Amit Shah's silence and criticised the State government's response.

Hyderabad: BRS MLC Dasoju Sravan accused the Congress and BJP of engaging in political theatrics while Telangana grappled with severe drought, falling groundwater levels and mounting agricultural distress. He demanded that the Centre release Rs 20,000 crore in drought relief and the State government build a rubber dam at Kannepalli to conserve water.

Speaking to the media at Telangana Bhavan on Tuesday, Sravan said the Revanth Reddy government had failed to prepare for the El Niño-induced drought despite meteorological warnings in February and March. Farmers who benefited from irrigation facilities during the previous BRS regime were now being forced to depend on borewells even as groundwater levels plunged, he said.

---

He stated that 750 TMCft of Godavari River water and 250 TMCft of Krishna River water had flowed into Andhra Pradesh while Telangana’s fields were drying up. “A rubber dam at Kannepalli, at a cost of just Rs 10 crore, could help conserve two TMCft of water, but the government had failed to take up the work,” he alleged.

Questioning Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s silence on the drought during his Hyderabad visit, the BRS MLC said the latter had visited the Bhagyalakshmi temple, participated in a walkathon (padayatra) and addressed a public meeting. However, he said the Union Home Minister had neither said anything about the State’s drinking water and irrigation problems nor announced assistance from the Centre for drought relief.

He also questioned the BJP leadership over its “RR tax” allegations against Revanth Reddy, demanding a CBI or ED probe if the charges were genuine, or a public apology otherwise. He termed the political exchanges between the Congress and BJP as fights for [sentence incomplete in source copy; clarification required].

Sravan criticised Revanth Reddy for holding political protests in Delhi instead of meeting the Union Home and Agriculture Ministers to secure drought assistance. He also questioned the Chief Minister’s remarks on vote theft, referring to the latter’s Cash-for-Vote case.

Accusing the police of selectively denying BRS leaders the right to protest, he asked DGP CV Anand whether Telangana was being governed by the Anumula Constitution or the Constitution drafted by Dr BR Ambedkar.