Union Minister of State for Home, Bandi Sanjay, launched a sharp attack on the ruling Congress and the opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) on Wednesday, accusing them of orchestrating political drama around water disputes. He alleged this was a deliberate tactic to shift public focus away from unfulfilled electoral guarantees and ongoing corruption investigations.
Allegations of Diversion and Deception
Addressing a press conference in Karimnagar, the senior BJP leader claimed the Congress government, led by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, is exploiting water issues. He stated the aim is to divert attention from its six unfulfilled guarantees and various probes into alleged scams. Sanjay also accused CM Reddy of misleading the state assembly. He asserted that the failures of both the Congress and the previous BRS government have become a heavy burden for the people of Telangana.
Sanjay reminded the public that the BJP had opposed the BRS government's stance on the Palamuru-Rangareddy lift irrigation project. He questioned whether the Congress party had ever staged significant protests on this critical issue when it was in the opposition.
The Core Issues of Water Allocation
Delving into specifics, the Union Minister highlighted what he termed historical injustices in river water sharing. He stated that Telangana's rightful share in the Krishna river waters is 811 thousand million cubic feet (tmcft). However, due to decisions made during previous Congress regimes, the state is currently allowed to use only about 200 tmcft.
Regarding the Godavari river, Sanjay pointed out a different problem. He said while Telangana has a substantial share of 1,486 tmcft from the Godavari, a large portion of it remains unutilised. He raised a critical question about why the Palamuru-Rangareddy project was excluded from the provisions of Section 89 of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014.
Corruption Charges Against Previous Regimes
Sanjay levelled serious allegations of corruption against both the previous Congress government in united Andhra Pradesh and the BRS government in Telangana. He claimed that during the tenure of the late Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, an average of 4 tmcft of water was diverted daily through the Pothireddypadu head regulator, adversely affecting Telangana's regions.
His most severe accusation was directed at former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR). Sanjay alleged that the estimated cost of the flagship Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project was artificially inflated from Rs 30,000 crore to a staggering Rs 1 lakh crore. He claimed this was done to facilitate large-scale misappropriation of funds.
In a notable aside, Sanjay commended former MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha for reportedly exposing corruption within the previous BRS government, which was led by her father, KCR. He also urged her to clarify media reports about a feast at YSR Congress Party leader R. K. Roja's house, which allegedly prompted KCR to cancel his planned visit to Tirumala.
The minister's press conference sets the stage for a heated political battle in Telangana, with water, a perennial emotive issue, and corruption charges taking centre stage ahead of future electoral contests.
