Revanth Reddy Accuses KCR of Fueling Inter-State Water Disputes to Revive BRS

Hyderabad, Jan 2026 :Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Thursday launched a sharp attack on former Chief Minister and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) president K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR), alleging that he was deliberately creating water disputes between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to keep his party politically relevant.

Addressing a meeting attended by Ministers, Congress legislators, public representatives and senior officials, Revanth Reddy accused KCR of inciting regional sentiments by repeatedly raising irrigation and river water issues and dragging Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu into Telangana’s political discourse. He said such attempts were aimed at reviving the BRS, which is struggling after successive electoral setbacks.

The Chief Minister said KCR was avoiding the state Assembly out of fear of being questioned on alleged irregularities and diversion of public funds in the name of irrigation projects during his 10-year rule. He dared the former Chief Minister to attend the Assembly and participate in a detailed debate on irrigation and river water sharing.

The meeting featured a comprehensive PowerPoint presentation by State Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy on irrigation projects and river water issues. The presentation, officials said, was meant to equip Ministers and MLAs with facts to counter the Opposition BRS during the upcoming Assembly debate on these sensitive issues.

Recalling the origins of the Telangana movement, Revanth Reddy said water rights were one of its core demands. “If the waters of the Krishna and Godavari rivers had been fully and judiciously utilised during the 10-year BRS rule, Telangana would have witnessed far greater development,” he said.

Explaining the Krishna river water allocation, the Chief Minister noted that 811 TMC was originally allotted to undivided Andhra Pradesh. After bifurcation, Andhra Pradesh received 512 TMC, while Telangana was earmarked 299 TMC. He alleged that KCR had formally accepted this allocation by signing official documents.

“KCR’s signature became an advantage for Andhra Pradesh. He agreed to a 66 per cent share for Andhra Pradesh and only 34 per cent for Telangana,” Revanth Reddy said. He added that an analysis of the Krishna river basin showed Telangana should ideally receive around 71 per cent of the water. “KCR failed to argue Telangana’s rightful share strongly. Today, even the Krishna River Management Board states that he accepted 299 TMC,” the Chief Minister remarked.

Revanth Reddy said the very existence of the BRS was at stake following its defeats in the Assembly elections, Lok Sabha polls and subsequent by-elections. “Realising this, KCR is once again trying to stir up water disputes between the two states and spreading false propaganda against the Congress government,” he alleged.

The Chief Minister also levelled serious allegations regarding the Palamuru–Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Project. He claimed that during seven years in power, the KCR government failed to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the project, yet spent nearly ₹27,000 crore. “Without a DPR, there was no environmental clearance,” he said.

Revanth Reddy stated that when cases were filed in the Supreme Court challenging the construction of the Palamuru project without approvals, the KCR government submitted an affidavit claiming it was not an irrigation project. The court was reportedly informed that the project would use only 7.15 TMC of water for drinking purposes.

Alleging large-scale corruption, the Chief Minister said KCR converted the project into a lift irrigation scheme to facilitate higher commissions. “He paid ₹27,000 crore to pump and lift companies as commissions,” Revanth Reddy claimed.

He further explained that the project was originally designed to draw water from the Jurala project. “KCR realised that drawing water from Jurala would not require lifting, so he changed the source to Srisailam. But only 0.25 TMC can actually be drawn from the Srisailam backwaters,” he said.

Revanth Reddy asserted that the Congress government was committed to transparency and to safeguarding Telangana’s rightful share of river waters, and would place all facts before the public and the Assembly.