Hyderabad: In a fiery press conference at Gun Park on Sunday, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader and former Minister T. Harish Rao launched a vehement attack on the Congress government, dismissing the Justice Ghose Commission report on the Kaleshwaram project as ‘trash’ and accusing the ruling party of stifling democratic debate in the Legislative Assembly.

Rao’s outburst comes after a marathon assembly session that extended past midnight and over nine hours of discussion of Kaleshwaram, where the government, based on the commission's findings, decided to hand over the investigation into the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The former minister alleged a concerted effort by the treasury benches to silence the opposition. “Unable to bear it, eight ministers including the Chief Minister tried to block our speech 33 times,” Rao claimed. He stated that BRS legislators were denied a microphone for nearly an hour and a half despite repeated requests to the Speaker and the Minister for Legislative Affairs. He accused the government of convening a session on a Sunday to hastily push through the discussion on the report without proper opposition debate. “If you are really sincere, what is your problem in giving us a microphone?” he questioned.

The BRS leader asserted that the BRS government had provided water to 17 lakh acres of new ayacut and stabilized another 20 lakh acres, bringing water to a total of 37 lakh acres. He listed completed projects like Kalvakurthi, Nettempadu, Bima, and Koil Sagar, emphasizing that Rs. 4000 crores were spent to provide water to six and a half lakh acres in Mahabubnagar district alone.

Rao invited intellectuals and journalists to visit the fields to see their impact. “Let's ask the lands of Bhupalapalli. Let's ask the farmers of Tungaturthi, Suryapet. Let's ask the people whether the Kaleshwaram result has been achieved or not,” he said. He credited the project for bringing Godavari water to Hyderabad and providing irrigation and drinking water to 13 districts. “Whoever said Kaleshwaram today is Kuleshwaram, they are the Shaneshwaras (ill omens) of Telangana today,” Rao remarked, taking a swipe at its critics.

A Political Witch-Hunt?

Rao framed the CBI probe and the various reports as a political conspiracy to malign the BRS ahead of panchayat elections. “They are harassing them with vigilance reports, NDSA reports, and Ghosh Commission reports. Why are they being punished?” he asked.

In a sharp counter-allegation, he said cases should instead be filed against the current government for recent irrigation failures. “Cases should be filed against you for the collapse of SLBC, the collapse of Sunkishala... Who should be whipped, Revanth Reddy? Who should be hanged, Revanth Reddy?” he said.

On the Medigadda Damage

Addressing the core issue of the sagging piers at Medigadda, Rao downplayed its significance, calling it a minor issue in a massive project. “The overall appearance of Kaleshwaram is completely good. There are 228 pillars in it, but they are making such a fuss about only three pillars sagging,” he said.

He accused the government of playing ‘dirty politics’ by not repairing the pillars quickly and restarting the water supply, claiming that current crops are solely dependent on Kaleshwaram water. Rao concluded with a warning to the government, stating that rejecting Medigadda was akin to rejecting Telangana's share of Godavari water. “The damage you are doing, the betrayal you are committing will go down in history. You will remain a disgrace in history,” he said.

“We will take into account all your anarchy, your conspiracies. We will pay with interest,” he added, signalling a fierce and protracted political battle ahead.