Hyderabad: Former irrigation minister T Harish Rao launched a sharp attack on Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, accusing him of lacking basic awareness of his own government's performance in safeguarding Telangana's water rights. The criticism came after the CM's remarks on Krishna water utilization.
CM's Ignorance a Threat to Water Rights
Harish Rao stated that it was unfortunate not only for Palamuru but for the entire state that the Chief Minister was unaware of the actual utilization of Krishna waters during his tenure. "A Chief Minister who lacks such fundamental understanding poses a serious threat to Telangana’s water rights," he said.
Official Data Contradicts Claims
The former minister, who wrote a letter to CM Revanth Reddy on Krishna waters, also questioned irrigation minister Uttam Kumar Reddy. He asked whether both leaders were unaware of the contents of official communications issued by their own government. Harish Rao pointed out that on May 2, 2026, the Telangana Engineer-in-Chief (General) officially wrote to the Krishna River Management Board. According to the letter, Andhra Pradesh utilized 74.23 per cent of the available Krishna waters, while Telangana utilized only 25.77 per cent.
Accusations of Betrayal on Palamuru Project
Harish Rao alleged that despite portraying himself as a son of Palamuru, Revanth Reddy had done virtually nothing for the undivided Mahabubnagar district during the last two-and-a-half years. "The CM was spreading falsehoods and half-truths only to divert attention from his government’s failures," the ex-irrigation minister said.
He accused the Congress government of betraying Palamuru by failing to complete the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme, which is designed to provide irrigation to 12.30 lakh acres and drinking water to 1,226 villages. Harish Rao recalled that Revanth Reddy and the Congress party had opposed the project from the beginning and had filed cases that delayed its progress.
BRS Government's Efforts Highlighted
Despite these obstacles, he said, the BRS government successfully defended the project and accelerated its execution. He stated that despite repeated attempts to create hurdles and incite farmers against the project, the BRS government had acquired 27,191 acres of land for the Palamuru-Rangareddy project. He challenged the Congress government to disclose how much land it had acquired for the project during the last two-and-a-half years. "Wasting 30 months and then waking up after completing half of the government’s term to talk about land acquisition proposals is nothing short of shameful," he said.
