Hyderabad: Former minister and Siddipet MLA T. Harish Rao came down heavily on both the Centre and the Andhra Pradesh government on Saturday, accusing them of orchestrating a major water diversion that could severely impact Telangana’s irrigation future.
Addressing a press conference at Telangana Bhavan, Harish alleged that Andhra Pradesh was moving ahead with the Godavari–Banakacherla project without a single statutory clearance, while the Telangana government remained a mute spectator. He warned that nearly 200 TMC of Godavari water could be diverted to AP if the project goes unchallenged.
“What exactly is Chief Minister Revanth Reddy doing while this is happening?” he asked, taking sharp aim at the CM’s recent engagement with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Is he going to stay silent while Andhra bulldozes ahead without approvals?”
Harish Rao said former CM Chandrababu Naidu was acting emboldened by his proximity to the BJP-led Centre, and flouting river-sharing norms with impunity. He likened the current situation to the days of undivided Andhra Pradesh, accusing the Congress government of allowing a repeat of past injustices.
He also alleged that the Centre had not only denied permissions to Telangana’s own projects but had entertained over 20 letters from Andhra seeking to block Telangana’s irrigation works, including Palamuru, Dindi, and Bhakta Ramadasu.
Harish further questioned why CM Revanth, who had boycotted the previous NITI Aayog meeting over the same issues, was now sitting “right in the front row” and failed to raise a single objection to the Godavari–Banakacherla project during the latest meeting.
He demanded accountability from Union Ministers G. Kishan Reddy and Bandi Sanjay, asking whether they had any responsibility towards Telangana’s water interests. “The BJP is openly favouring Andhra, pouring funds into its illegal projects while denying permissions to ours,” he said.
Harish also flagged the issue of Krishna water reallocation. Referring to the Bachawat Tribunal award, he argued that Telangana was entitled to at least 112 TMC of additional water if 80 TMC were diverted through Polavaram, based on proportional sharing. He pointed out that while Karnataka and Maharashtra had already received allocations under this formula, Telangana’s requests had been stonewalled.
He warned that unless immediate action is taken, the state would launch protests in Delhi, including a dharna at the Central Water Commission office. “This is nothing short of betrayal. The BJP’s bias against Telangana is now fully exposed,” he said.
నాడైనా, నేడైనా కాంగ్రెస్సే తెలంగాణ పాలిట శాపం.
ఏడాదిన్నర కాలంలో ఒక్క ప్రాజెక్టు కట్టలేదు, కొత్తగా ఒక్క ఎకరాకు నీళ్లు ఇవ్వలేదు.
కృష్ణా నది మీద ప్రాజెక్టులను కేంద్రానికి అప్పగించారు. మల్లా కేసీఆర్ పోరాడితే ప్రకటన వెనక్కి తీసుకున్నరు.
పెద్ద వాగు కొట్టుకుపోయింది, వట్టెం పంపు హౌజ్… pic.twitter.com/WUasaAnZT9— BRS Party (@BRSparty) May 25, 2025
