Metro India News |  Kollapur

Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka issued a strong warning against the conspiracies being hatched against Telangana in the name of Banakacherla and Polavaram projects. He alleged that BRS, BJP, and TDP have colluded and conspired to merge seven mandals of Khammam district into Andhra Pradesh, which was attempted through an ordinance.

During the public meeting held in Kollapur constituency on the occasion of foundation stone laying for new substations, distribution of ration cards, and Indiramma housing pattas on Saturday, the Deputy Chief Minister questioned the silence of the BRS government for ten years, saying their inaction brought Banakacherla to the forefront. He stated that it was only after Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy visited Delhi that the Banakacherla proposal was halted.

Bhatti said that AP Minister Lokesh’s statements about Telangana wasting water and building Banakacherla with such water are misleading. He clarified that water flowing downstream is only because Telangana’s upstream projects were left incomplete, and only after completing all its rights and needs will Telangana allow any further discussion on Banakacherla.

"The  BRS came to power promising water, funds, and jobs. But in ten years, the previous government failed to complete any major projects on Godavari or Krishna rivers. It was Congress governments that initiated and completed projects like Jurala, Nettempadu, Koilsagar, Kalwakurthy, Srisailam, and Nagarjunasagar on the Krishna river," he said. 

Bhatti recalled how the Congress had proposed the Pranahita-Chevella project at 152m height to benefit upland areas. Instead, former chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao went for the Kaleshwaram project at only 100m height, which ultimately collapsed despite spending ₹1.2 lakh crores, whereas Pranahita-Chevella could have been completed for ₹38,000 crores.

He accused the previous BRS government of redesigning projects only to loot the state treasury, and not delivering even a single acre of irrigation. The Deputy Chief Minister said the state witnessed fear and suppression, with dissenting voices silenced and people arrested arbitrarily during BRS rule. “Congress has brought back democracy in Telangana and is working for the people," he added.