Hyderabad: Former minister and BRS leader Errabelli Dayakar Rao on Saturday alleged that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy was resorting to diversionary politics due to fear of former chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao.
He made the remarks during a visit to the Medigadda barrage, part of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project in Jayashankar Bhupalpally district.
Medigadda visit controversy raises political questions
Errabelli Dayakar Rao asked the Chief Minister to clarify the purpose of his visit to Medigadda. He questioned why the Congress government showed interest in the project after earlier criticising it.
He claimed that even the mention of a meeting by KCR created pressure on the Chief Minister. He alleged that the government scheduled review meetings to counter KCR’s planned public meeting in Jagtial.
He also said the government was trying to divert attention by focusing on the Medigadda project.
Medigadda visit controversy highlights Kaleshwaram project scale
Errabelli Dayakar Rao highlighted the scale of the Kaleshwaram project. He said it includes three barrages, 15 reservoirs, 19 substations, and 21 pump houses. He added that the system covers 203 kilometres of tunnels and 1,531 kilometres of canals.
He said the project also includes 98 kilometres of pressure mains and can lift water up to 530 metres. He added that it has a storage capacity of 141 TMC and a utilisation potential of 240 TMC.
He alleged that the government delayed works and attempted to target KCR by criticising the project. He also claimed that authorities released water downstream without proper storage due to vested interests.
Errabelli said a construction firm had offered to repair a damaged pillar at its own cost, but officials did not act on the proposal.
He further criticised the Congress, stating that Telangana had faced water shortages in the past. He credited KCR with improving irrigation and strengthening agriculture through major projects.
Several BRS leaders, including former ministers and legislators, attended the visit.