‘Give me three months will ensure water reaches farmers’

BRS leader says he will restore water supply, revive Medigadda, and retire from politics if he fails

Defending the Kaleshwaram Project, Harish Rao said it had received approvals from 18 Central agencies and should be viewed as a complete irrigation network of barrages, pump houses, reservoirs, tunnels and canals rather than being judged solely on the Medigadda Barrage

Metro India News | Hyderabad 

Former Irrigation Minister and BRS Deputy Floor Leader Harish Rao challenged Chief Minister Revanth Reddy to hand over the Irrigation portfolio to him for three months, claiming he would restore irrigation services, restart the Kannepalli pump house, revive Medigadda and ensure water reached farmers. He declared that if he failed, he would permanently retire from politics.

Addressing a press conference at Telangana Bhavan with a PowerPoint presentation, Harish Rao said the Chief Minister need not debate with BRS president K. Chandrashekar Rao, asserting that he alone was enough to take on Revanth Reddy. Pointing out that he had been an MLA for 23 years, he described the Chief Minister as politically his "sishya" and challenged him to a direct debate on irrigation and the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project.

Accusing the Congress government of mismanaging irrigation, Harish Rao alleged that it had wasted Godavari waters, misled the public on Kaleshwaram and failed to protect farmers during drought conditions. He questioned why only limited water was being lifted through the Devadula Lift Irrigation Scheme despite adequate availability at Sammakka Barrage and termed the situation "criminal negligence", claiming that 75-80 per cent of tanks in the erstwhile Warangal district had dried up.

He also demanded a special Assembly debate on irrigation, saying he was prepared to substantiate every allegation with official records.

Defending the Kaleshwaram Project, Harish Rao said it had received approvals from 18 Central agencies and should be viewed as a complete irrigation network of barrages, pump houses, reservoirs, tunnels and canals rather than being judged solely on the Medigadda Barrage.

He rejected the government's claims on the Tummidihatti project, stating that the Central Water Commission had reported inadequate water availability and Maharashtra had never approved the proposed full reservoir level. Challenging the Chief Minister to produce evidence to the contrary, he said he would resign as MLA if such proof was produced. He also questioned why repeated structural issues at the Polavaram Project had not attracted similar scrutiny, alleging political motives behind criticism of Kaleshwaram.