Hyderabad: IT and Industries Minister Duddilla Sridhar Babu on Wednesday said the government would not compromise on the Telangana water share. He said the State would strongly defend its rights at the Godavari River Management Board meeting.
Speaking to reporters after the Face-to-Face Interaction with the Minister programme at Gandhi Bhavan, Sridhar Babu criticised the previous BRS government. He accused it of causing serious losses to Telangana in river water allocation.
The minister said the government would attend the GRMB meeting and firmly present Telangana’s claims. Moreover, he reiterated that the State would fight for its rightful allocation of river waters. Sridhar Babu also targeted BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao and accused him of misleading people with false claims.
Telangana water share row draws attack on BRS
Sridhar Babu challenged Rama Rao to disclose the price fetched by paddy cultivated at former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao’s farmhouse. Meanwhile, the minister also responded to allegations concerning land allotments by the Congress government.
He claimed the present administration had allotted land at Rs 1.5 crore per acre. In contrast, he said the previous BRS government had granted land at Rs 90 lakh per acre.
Sridhar Babu said the Congress government followed prescribed rules while making its land allotments. He added that the government had allotted five acres for Rs 7.5 crore. Therefore, he asked Rama Rao to explain how he had arrived at a valuation of Rs 200 crore for the land.
The minister also defended the Hyderabad Investment and Land Transformation policy. He expressed confidence that the HILT policy would benefit Hyderabad residents.
Furthermore, Sridhar Babu said Rama Rao should not create fear among industrialists or obstruct Telangana’s development. He advised the BRS leader against directing his political anger towards the people over differences with the Congress government.
Telangana water share stand comes amid political criticism
Sridhar Babu also accused the BRS of spreading what he called “Goebbels-style propaganda.” However, he claimed voters had rejected such political messaging. He cited the BRS’s defeats in the Lok Sabha and local body elections to support his argument.
At the same time, Sridhar Babu maintained that protecting the Telangana water share remained a firm position of the State government. He said Telangana would press its rightful claims before the GRMB without compromise.