Congress Accuses BRS Leader Harish Rao of Spreading False Claims Over Tummidihatti Project

The ruling Congress party has accused BRS MLA T. Harish Rao of spreading false information regarding the Tummidihatti project to undermine government efforts to revive the Pranahita-Chevella project. Government Whip and Nakrekal MLA Vemula Veeresham and Bhongir MP Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy made these remarks during a press conference at the CLP Media Centre on Tuesday, alongside MLA Bathula Lakshma Reddy. Mr. Veeresham described the recent talks between Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis as a big achievement for the State. He claimed that Mr. Harish Rao is unhappy because Chief Minister Revanth Reddy will get the credit, which will also show how money spent on the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project was wasted. He argued that a gravity-based water supply from Tummidihatti would have brought water to farmers at a lower cost. MP Kiran Kumar Reddy also answered Mr. Harish Rao's comments about water levels at the Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla barrages. He accused the BRS party of misleading the public by claiming that 20,000 cusecs of water was flowing from Medigadda toward Andhra Pradesh. He stated that the collapse of part of the Medigadda barrage during the BRS rule is a fact that cannot be ignored, and added that water could not be lifted from Medigadda then or now due to the barrage's condition. He blamed Mr. Harish Rao, who previously served as Irrigation Minister under BRS, for turning Kaleshwaram into a financial burden. In a separate press conference, MLC Addanki Dayakar told Mr. Harish Rao to limit his politics to election time instead of doing it every day. He suggested that Mr. Harish Rao could share his past experience as Irrigation Minister with Mr. Uttam Kumar Reddy.

Context

Water resource projects and irrigation infrastructure in Telangana often spark intense political debate between the ruling party and the opposition. Questions over the planning, cost, and structural safety of major barrages like those in the Kaleshwaram system regularly form a central part of state-level political disputes.