Hyderabad: State Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Friday launched a blistering attack on the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), questioning why its leaders, including former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao and former Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao were afraid of a judicial probe into the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) if they genuinely believed it was a “marvelous engineering achievement”.

Addressing the press, Uttam Kumar Reddy said, “Ever since the Judicial Commission headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice PC Ghose served notices, the BRS leadership has been running a propaganda campaign instead of cooperating. If they have confidence in the project, why don’t they appear before the Commission and make their case? KTR should be renamed ‘Goebbels Rao’ for the way he is spreading misinformation and attacking institutions.”

Uttam condemned BRS leaders for “disparaging a judicial process” and warned that deliberate attempts to undermine the Commission’s credibility could have legal consequences. “You cannot insult an institution simply because you’ve been asked to respond to questions about the Kaleshwaram project. The law will take its course,” he asserted.

Referring to recent remarks by BRS leaders about sabotage at the Medigadda barrage, Uttam questioned their motives. “You were in government when the FIR was filed. Why didn’t you bring up this ‘bomb’ theory then? Why now? Are you trying to escape the judicial process by creating sensational diversions?” he asked. “If you have such evidence, submit it to the Commission instead of shouting from rooftops.”

He also said that the Congress government was exploring ways to revive and repurpose the Kaleshwaram project, though the task is daunting. “We are making non-political, fact-based efforts to salvage what we can. But the foundations are defective. Every test report exposes the fraud. This is why BRS leaders are panicking – not because of politics, but because the truth is catching up.”