Ready to fight even with God to protect farmers: CM KCR

Hyderabad: Declaring that he would not mind fighting even with 'God' to protect the interests of agriculture and farmers in the state, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said that they would make a powerful presentation rebutting the arguments of the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh regarding objections raised on projects like Kaleshwaram, Palamuru Rangareddy lift scheme and other projects.

The Chief Minister, who held a crucial meeting on Thursday with senior officials, is learnt to have finalised the strategy and the presentation to be made during the meeting of the apex council on October 6.

The virtual meeting will be chaired by Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendrasingh Shekhawat. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy will also be participating in the meeting. At a high-level meeting with top officials of state Water Resources Department here, KCR said that the rightful share of every drop of water from Godavari and Krishna rivers would be utilised optimally.

How they propose to do will be the part of the presentation which KCR would be making during the meeting, sources said. KCR pointed out that the Telangana Statehood movement was interlinked with the water issue and the farmers. Telangana has exhibited how water could reach many of the areas where irrigation water was not available and this was done by making some changes in the design of the ongoing projects.

It succeeded in tapping river water and diverted them to the arid fields in six year's time. This has helped in making the state granary of the country and the agriculture sector has been progressing. "We have succeeded in converting farming into a festival," the Chief Minister is learnt to have said.

Government's Chief Advisor Rajiv Sharma, CMO officials Narsing Rao, Bhoopal Reddy, Advisor (Irrigation) SK Joshi and other officials were present.