Kavitha accuses Revanth Reddy of backing Polavaram-Banakacherla link project

Hyderabad: Telangana Rakshana Sena president Kalvakuntla Kavitha accused Chief Minister Revanth Reddy of taking contradictory positions on the Polavaram-Banakacherla project. She alleged that the government lacked a clear policy on river water use. She also accused it of failing to protect Telangana’s interests.

Kavitha said the government’s position was exposed during National Water Development Agency (NWDA) meetings. Telangana officials had urged the agency to consider linking the Godavari and Cauvery rivers from Sammakka Sagar, also known as Tupakulagudem.

However, Revanth Reddy had agreed to the Polavaram-Banakacherla project at a Southern Zonal Council meeting, she alleged. The Union Home Minister chaired that meeting. Kavitha said the two positions were contradictory.

Polavaram-Banakacherla project could affect Telangana’s 250 TMC water share

Kavitha recalled that Telangana Jagruthi had opposed the Polavaram-Banakacherla project in 2024. She said the organisation had warned of its impact on Telangana’s water rights. It had also demanded that Andhra Pradesh’s proposed project be stopped.

She alleged that Revanth Reddy was handing over Telangana’s rightful share of 250 TMC of Godavari water to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu as ‘gurudakshina’.

Kavitha also criticised Revanth over a meeting convened by the Union Jal Shakti Minister. The meeting involved the chief ministers of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. She alleged that Revanth had agreed to the project there. However, he later made false statements to the media.

According to Kavitha, the Andhra Pradesh government was pressing the Centre to take up the project as part of river interlinking. She said it was doing so with the Telangana Chief Minister’s approval.

Kavitha urged the state government to recognise the potential impact on Telangana’s water interests. She demanded an immediate withdrawal from all Centre-led consultations on the proposal.

She also called on Revanth Reddy to write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The letter, she said, should seek the Centre’s intervention to stop the project.