KCR Plans Statewide Movement Targeting Centre and Congress Over Irrigation Delays

Hyderabad, Dec 2025 : After a long pause from active political campaigning, former Telangana Chief Minister and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) President K. Chandrasekhar Rao has announced his return to public mobilisation. He declared that he will personally lead a large-scale movement to protect Telangana’s interests in river water allocation and to expose what he termed the failures of both the state and Central governments in executing major irrigation projects.

KCR, as he is popularly known, outlined his plan at a press conference on Sunday following a joint meeting of the BRS executive, Legislature Party, and Parliamentary Party at Telangana Bhavan. He stated the party would launch a mass movement against the delay in implementing the Palamuru-Ranga Reddy Lift Irrigation Scheme across the Krishna River — a long-pending project aimed at transforming the drought-prone Palamuru region.

Declaring that the time for patience had passed, KCR said he will now intervene directly. “We have given sufficient time. Now I have decided to personally step in. There will be no niceties. We will fight to protect the interests of Telangana,” he said. He also vowed to expose both the Congress government in Telangana and the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre.

The BRS chief accused the state Congress administration of inaction and inefficiency, alleging that it had jeopardized Telangana’s rights over Krishna and Godavari river waters. KCR said the BJP-led Centre stalled the project after the BRS lost power, claiming the Detailed Project Report (DPR) was returned soon after the Congress took office.

According to KCR, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu influenced the Centre’s decision. He alleged that since Naidu’s entry into the NDA alliance, blocking Telangana’s water and infrastructure projects had become a coordinated agenda. “Out of nine required permissions, we secured six — including environmental clearance. But once Chandrababu Naidu came to power in Andhra Pradesh and joined the NDA, he made the Centre send back the DPR,” he said, questioning why the current Telangana government remained silent on the issue.

He also announced a comprehensive outreach programme covering every village in Mahabubnagar (Palamuru), Ranga Reddy, and Nalgonda districts, along with a major public meeting. The campaign, he said, would highlight the urgency of completing the project and the broader need to protect Telangana’s water resources.

KCR further attacked the ruling Congress for what he described as deteriorating living conditions in the state. He claimed that land values have plummeted under the new government, reversing what he termed strong economic progress during BRS rule. “Today, prices have crashed. There are no buyers even for one acre,” he said.

On public safety, he alleged that Telangana, once recognised for peace and effective law and order, is witnessing rising crime. Citing NCRB data, he claimed the crime rate has surged by 20 per cent, with violent incidents occurring in broad daylight.

The BRS president also accused Congress of misleading voters and gaining power through false promises. He criticised Chief Minister Revanth Reddy for his constant personal attacks, saying such remarks had lowered the standard of public discourse. “He constantly spews venom and every day wishes death for KCR. Can a person have so much of a grudge?” he asked.

Mocking the state government’s ambitious ‘Future City’ project, KCR said Hyderabad’s development cannot be reinvented overnight. “Who needs this Future City? Hyderabad was not built overnight. It has a 400-year history,” he remarked.

He also targeted Chandrababu Naidu, calling him the mentor of Revanth Reddy, and dismissed the value of MoUs signed by the Andhra Pradesh government during Naidu’s previous tenure. “Fake MoUs won’t bring investments. If they did, Rs 20 lakh crore would have flowed into Andhra Pradesh,” he said.

KCR’s return to active mobilisation signals a renewed political battlefront in Telangana, with water rights and agricultural development likely to take centre stage.

Team Maverick