BRS Accuses Panel Report on the Kaleshwaram Project of being a 'Political Revenge'
In the heart of Telangana, the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project has become a major political flashpoint, with accusations and counter-accusations fueling electoral strategies ahead of key local elections.
The Justice P.C. Ghose Commission's report, which accuses Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) and senior officials of financial, procedural irregularities, and poor governance in the Kaleshwaram project, has sparked intense debate. The report, which calls the project a “colossal waste of public money,” has been met with a strong rebuttal from the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).
Former irrigation minister Harish Rao, who is also implicated in the report, held a press conference at Telangana Bhavan to present a detailed defense of the Kaleshwaram project and to counter-attack the Congress government. Rao dismissed the report as a "baseless report" and a "political conspiracy," drawing a sharp contrast between the BRS and Congress governments.
Rao claimed that the BRS government was transformative, providing 24-hour electricity, completing pending projects, and reviving lakes through Mission Kakatiya, while the current government was in a limbo and focusing on political vendetta. He accused the commission and the government of engaging in a politically motivated attack on the BRS legacy.
The BRS views the commission and the government's actions as a politically motivated attack on its leader, K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR). Rao challenged the government to table the full 665-page report in the Assembly, vowing to expose the facts to the public and prove that the report's claims are unfounded.
The Kaleshwaram project received approvals from 11 central government agencies, and all details were transparently documented in the Detailed Project Report (DPR). Rao questioned the selective leaks of the commission's findings and the government's decision to release information to the media before BRS leaders were even served with notices.
Rao provided a detailed justification for the shift of the Kaleshwaram project from Thummadihatti to Medigadda, citing lack of water availability at Thummadihatti and Maharashtra's objection to the construction of a barrage at the previously proposed height. He claimed that a committee of five experts recommended the Medigadda location and had confirmed in an affidavit to the commission that their views were considered.
The Congress party, which sought this judicial inquiry before the 2023 elections, is using the report aggressively as a political weapon in the run-up to local body elections in Telangana and Hyderabad. The current Telangana government, led by Congress’s Revanth Reddy, plans to take legal and administrative action based on the judicial inquiry but insists this will not be a political vendetta, promising debates in the assembly and council before proceeding.
The political landscape is further complicated by allegations touching former ministers now in BJP leadership, adding another layer of complexity to the ongoing investigation. The issue continues to dominate the public discourse, with both opposition parties and the BRS using it to galvanize voter support and pressure the ruling party.
The government’s upcoming debate and actions on the report will be closely watched for their political and legal consequences. The stakes are high, and the outcome could have significant implications for the political future of Telangana.
- The Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project controversy, which involves war-and-conflicts between the Telangana state government and the opposition over allegations of financial and procedural irregularities, is now intertwined with policy-and-legislation, as the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and Congress party engage in intense political debates concerning the project.
- General news outlets are following the ongoing discussions and debates regarding the Justice P.C. Ghose Commission's report on the Kaleshwaram project, which has become a significant political flashpoint in the heart of Telangana, influencing electoral strategies in local elections.
