Revanth Reddy’s lies on Krishna waters dangerous for Telangana: Harish Rao

BRS leader Harish Rao launched a blistering attack on Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, accusing him of spreading misinformation and displaying alarming ignorance on Krishna river water allocations, warning that such misstatements could irreparably harm Telangana’s interests

Hyderabad: Former Minister and BRS deputy floor leader T Harish Rao came down heavily on Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy for spreading lies and misinformation on Krishna river waters, which were critical to Telangana’s interest. He charged the Chief Minister with displaying alarming ignorance due to the latter’s lack of basic knowledge on irrigation which could cause irreparable loss to the State.

In a strong counter to the Chief Minister’s remarks, Harish Rao said Revanth Reddy had “lied in TMCs and displayed ignorance in cusecs”, calling him a “brand ambassador of falsehoods”. He stated that the Chief Minister lacked even basic understanding of river basins and water tribunals. “Revanth Reddy clearly failed to distinguish between the Bachawat Tribunal and the Brijesh Kumar Tribunal. This level of ignorance from a sitting Chief Minister is shocking and dangerous,” he said.

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Accusing Revanth Reddy of political duplicity, Harish Rao pointed out that the Chief Minister publicly claimed he would not insult BRS chief and Leader of Opposition K Chandrashekhar Rao if the latter attended the Assembly, but went on to compare Chandrashekhar Rao to terrorist Ajmal Kasab in the same press conference. “Comparing the architect of Telangana, who united four crore people and forced the Congress to concede statehood, to Kasab shows utter lack of culture, dignity and respect,” he said.

Condemning the uncivilised and abusive language, he said Revanth Reddy had earlier made remarks suggesting KCR and BRS leaders should be hanged or stoned, while now projecting himself as a defender of democratic values. “This hypocrisy exposes him as a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” he charged.

Questioning the Congress government’s stance on inter-State water disputes, Harish Rao asked why Revanth Reddy attended meetings in Delhi and constituted committees if he genuinely intended to approach the Supreme Court on the Godavari-Banakacherla link project. “Forming committees behind closed doors only opens the gates for Andhra Pradesh’s water plunder,” he warned.

On Krishna water allocations, Harish Rao accused the Chief Minister of distorting facts by claiming that Chandrashekhar Rao agreed to 299 TMCft for Telangana. He countered this by citing the former Chief Minister’s letter written to the Centre just 42 days after the State formation, demanding redistribution of 811 TMCft in Krishna river. He said Chandrashekhar Rao had consistently sought a 69 per cent share for Telangana, well before Revanth Reddy’s recent claim of 71 per cent.

He ridiculed Revanth Reddy’s claims, asking why Chandrashekhar Rao would approach the Supreme Court, write 28 letters to the Centre, and repeatedly raise the issue in Apex Council meetings if the Centre responded to Telangana’s requests earlier. He said the Supreme Court case was withdrawn only after the Centre assured redistribution under Section 3, which Revanth Reddy was now deliberately concealing.

Taking a jibe at the Chief Minister’s understanding of irrigation flows, the BRS leader ridiculed Revanth Reddy’s remarks on the need to draw water at Srisailam project, when all rivers merge above Jurala project. He reminded that around 450-600 TMCft of water annually reaches the Srisailam reservoir via Tungabhadra river. He asked why the Congress government declared a crop holiday for 5.5 lakh acres under Jurala-linked projects, while supplying water to Kalwakurthy Lift Irrigation Scheme.

On Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme, Harish Rao said the Congress was sabotaging the project by instigating cases in the National Green Tribunal (NGT). He said the BRS government had secured seven approvals to utilise 90 TMCft, while the present government had failed to obtain even a single clearance in over two years.

“This is your competence, this is your record,” he said.