‘Duplicity at its worst’: KTR tears into Congress for defaming Kaleshwaram

KTR accused the Congress government of hypocrisy for calling the Kaleshwaram project a scam while using its water for new schemes. He alleged inflated project costs, misuse of funds, and delays intended to harm Telangana’s interests, vowing to expose the corruption

Hyderabad: BRS working president KT Rama Rao on Monday demanded a public apology from Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and the Congress government for sheer duplicity on the Kaleshwaram project, stating that they were spreading falsehood about the project, while simultaneously using its waters for new schemes.

Speaking to the media at Telangana Bhavan, Rama Rao said Congress leaders had for years spewed venom on the Kaleshwaram project by branding it a failed one and targeting the BRS for political mileage. He reminded that apart from multiple commissions and inquiries, the Congress government had even ordered a CBI probe. However, the same leaders were now laying foundation stones to draw water for the Musi River rejuvenation project from Mallanna Sagar, which is one of Kaleshwaram’s key reservoirs.

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“The Congress leaders should be ashamed to term Kaleshwaram project as a Rs 1 lakh crore scam, because today they boast about bringing its waters to Hyderabad. By doing so, they admit that the project is Telangana’s lifeline. This is duplicity at its worst,” he charged.

The BRS working president blamed the government for inflating project costs to plunder the exchequer. He pointed out that under the BRS, estimates to bring Godavari river water from Kondapochamma Sagar to Hyderabad were pegged at Rs 1,100 crore. However, the Revanth Reddy regime shifted the source to Mallanna Sagar and escalated costs to Rs 7,390 crore, which was seven times higher, he said, adding that the Musi beautification project, originally estimated at Rs 16,000 crore, was now estimated to cost Rs 1.5 lakh crore.

“These inflated numbers are not about development but about commissions and contractor kickbacks. Revanth Reddy is looting Telangana in instalments to save his Chief Minister’s chair,” he asserted.

Rama Rao questioned why the government chose Mallanna Sagar, which requires costly lift systems, instead of Kondapochamma Sagar, from where water could flow by gravity. “Three water treatment plants and five pump houses are being pushed only to fatten contractors’ pockets and earn commissions. People must know who is profiting,” he said, also lashing out at the government for awarding contracts to agencies blacklisted by the Centre and the HMWSSB, including the company behind the Sunkishala retaining wall collapse.

“A firm that should have been barred is being rewarded with works worth Rs 7,300 crore. This is a criminal conspiracy, not governance,” he said.

On the Medigadda barrage, the former Minister countered Congress’s claims of structural failure. He noted that only three piers out of 85 had been damaged and reminded that Medigadda withstood 12 lakh cusecs of floodwaters. “Repairs worth just Rs 250 crore–Rs 300 crore are needed out of the Rs.4,000 crore spent for the barrage construction. L&T has even offered to do the work at its own expense. Why stop it? Where is the wastage of public money? This is nothing but a conspiracy against Telangana’s lifeline,” he asserted.

He stated that repairs were being deliberately delayed to favour Andhra Pradesh’s Banakacherla project, while Telangana farmers were left to suffer fertiliser shortages. “This government cries about empty coffers for pensions, Rythu Bandhu or fee reimbursements, yet rushes to announce inflated projects. What explains this selective urgency, if not greed?” he asked.

Reiterating the scale of BRS’ achievement, Rama Rao said Telangana had built the world’s largest lift irrigation project, comprising three barrages, 15 reservoirs, 21 pumping stations, 203 km of tunnels, over 1,500 km of canals, and 141 TMC storage capacity which is irrigating 20 lakh acres. He said the Congress was looting the State and vowed that the BRS would continue to expose their lies, loot and hypocrisy.