Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLA and former Irrigation Minister T. Harish Rao launched a strong attack on Congress leaders, including Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, this Wednesday. He accused them of actively undermining Telangana’s critical water rights through what he described as ‘contradictory and ignorant statements’ concerning the sharing of the Krishna river water.
In a direct rebuttal to comments made by Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, Mr. Rao asserted that both Mr. Uttam Kumar and Mr. Revanth Reddy were issuing conflicting statements, which, in his view, showcased their profound lack of understanding and a willingness to make political compromises on such a vital issue.
Mr. Rao emphasized that this apparent lack of clear, unified messaging regarding Telangana’s rights to Krishna water could severely weaken the state’s position when presenting its case before the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal (KWDT). He highlighted the inconsistencies: “Uttam Kumar Reddy previously spoke of securing 763 tmc ft, yet Revanth Reddy initially sought a blanket ‘no objection certificate (NOC)’ from Andhra Pradesh for 500 tmc ft, only to later assert the state’s rightful share was 904 TMC,” Rao stated, questioning the accuracy of their respective figures.
Furthermore, he categorically denied allegations that the previous BRS government had ever agreed to a 299:512 tmc ft water-sharing ratio between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. “This is completely false,” he declared. He then challenged the ruling party to provide proof of their claim, offering to resign from his position if they could substantiate it. In turn, he dared them to resign if they failed to provide such evidence.