‘Sankranti gift to Naidu’: Harish Rao slams Revanth over Nallamala Sagar
BRS Deputy Floor Leader in the Assembly Harish Rao on Monday alleged that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has given a “Sankranti gift” to his political mentor Chandrababu Naidu by filing a legally weak writ petition in the Supreme Court regarding the Nallamala Sagar project.
In a video message directed at the Congress government, Harish Rao questioned if the Chief Minister was offering “Guru Dakshina” to the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister at the expense of Telangana’s water resources. He asserted that the BRS would not remain a silent spectator to what he termed a “historic betrayal,” claiming that the government’s deceptive tactics had been thoroughly exposed before the apex court.
Harish Rao alleged that the state government deliberately filed a flawed petition concerning the Polavaram-Nallamala Sagar project to allow the Andhra Pradesh government to continue illegal construction activities without hindrance. Drawing a sharp contrast between the two states, he noted that while the Andhra Pradesh government had successfully stalled the Palamuru-Rangareddy project through stay orders in the past, the current Telangana government had submitted a petition lacking basic legal jurisdiction.
“This was not a mistake; it was a calculated move to surrender the rights of Telangana,” Harish Rao said. He further questioned the sincerity of the legal approach, asking if a legal luminary such as Abhishek Manu Singhvi was consulted, or if the petition’s lack of maintainability was intentional. Taking a swipe at the Irrigation Minister, he added, “Was it necessary for Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy to fly to Delhi just to preside over such a futile and incompetent legal exercise?”
The BRS leader warned that the government’s decision to withdraw the writ petition and file a civil suit instead is a dangerous delay tactic. He explained that a civil suit would involve dragging Maharashtra and Karnataka into the dispute, leading to years of arguments. “This delay is exactly what the Andhra Pradesh government wants so they can complete project works and siphon off our water while we are stuck in court halls,” he said. Concluding his address, Harish Rao reminded the public of Chandrababu Naidu’s history of blocking irrigation projects in Telangana. He accused Revanth Reddy of committing an “unforgivable sin” by aligning with such a leader. “We will fight hard to protect our water resources and expose your duplicity in the court of public opinion,” Harish Rao warned.
