Hyderabad: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Tuesday accused former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao and Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy of damaging Telangana water rights through inaction and political opportunism. Addressing a meeting at Dr. Jyotirao Phule Praja Bhavan, where a detailed presentation on the Polavaram–Banakacherla project was shown, the Chief Minister charged that KCR handed away Telangana’s Godavari and Krishna entitlements, leaving the state exposed to Andhra Pradesh’s unilateral diversions.
Revanth Reddy alleged KCR effectively signed away Telangana’s water share in a June 2015 meeting with then Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and later repeated the error in discussions with Jagan Mohan Reddy. The CM called it a “death warrant” for Telangana, stating that KCR never objected to Andhra Pradesh moving ahead with projects even without final allocation agreements in place.
According to Revanth, Andhra Pradesh built projects on the basis of statements by KCR and Harish Rao, who suggested 3,000 TMC of floodwaters could be harnessed. As a result, the Chief Minister said, Telangana’s legitimate 968 TMC share from Godavari was put at risk, while Andhra Pradesh gained control over construction.
Revanth Reddy attacked the BRS for trying to revive political fortunes around the Banakacherla project, and alleged that Union Minister Kishan Reddy was indirectly supporting BRS interests. He demanded Kishan Reddy clear doubts about his approach, and asked why the BJP’s eight MPs from Telangana had failed to protect state interests.
The Chief Minister urged newly appointed BJP state unit president N. Ramachander Rao to take up the Godavari issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and assured that Telangana officials would provide all documents needed to explain its case. He appealed to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu to come forward for talks on water sharing, saying open dialogue was the best way to settle disputes on flood and surplus waters.
He challenged BRS leaders to debate water allocations for two days in the Assembly, urging Harish Rao to formally write to the Speaker if they wanted to prove their claims.
Revanth Reddy criticised Andhra Pradesh for raising objections to projects in the Krishna basin even after Telangana’s allocation was legally recorded. He questioned why Andhra Pradesh continued to block Telangana’s own irrigation plans while pushing its own diversions.
The Chief Minister listed multiple incomplete projects under the previous BRS government, including Kalwakurthy, Palamuru, SLBC, Bima, and Nettempadu, saying KCR’s failure to finish them left Telangana unable to use its assured share of 299 TMC in the Krishna basin. He also blamed KCR for re-engineering the Chevella project for commercial motives, and said the much-touted Kaleshwaram project, despite over ₹1 lakh crore spent, had irrigated barely 50,000 acres.
Revanth Reddy slammed the Centre for pursuing litigation instead of acting as a mediator and questioned why Union Minister Kishan Reddy was silent on protecting Telangana’s water interests. He claimed the Centre was supposed to play a “big brother” role but had instead let inter-state disputes linger.
He insisted the focus should be on securing permanent rights for Telangana, not political showmanship. He argued the entire Telangana community, regardless of political differences, stood united on protecting water rights.
Revanth called the decisions made under the BRS government careless and arrogant, creating roadblocks for Telangana’s future. He concluded that the Congress administration would continue to fight in courts, at the Centre, and through political channels to safeguard Telangana’s rightful share.