HYDERABAD : Condemning the averments made in a PowerPoint presentation by Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy during the debate on the ‘Government’s Resolution’ on Krishna river, projects on Krishna and Krishna River Management Board and related issues in the state Legislative Assembly on Monday, BRS MLA T Harish Rao alleged that the state government has tabled a “book of lies” in the name of “Facts on Krishna”.
He said that the Congress government adopted a resolution in haste just before his party’s proposed public meeting in Nalgonda.
“The Congress government taking a decision not to hand over the projects on Krishna river to the Centre is a victory of the people of Telangana and the BRS,” he said.
“During the 10-year BRS rule, KCR has not handed over the projects to the KRMB. But you did it in just two months,” he said and added that the points included in the handout given to the legislators, such as the then BRS government agreeing to handing over the projects to the KRMB, are false.
“In the Apex Council meeting attended by KCR, the projects were not handed over to KRMB as the matter was sub judice. It is said that the gazette notification was not challenged but it is a lie. We have rejected the proposals on water share in the second Apex Council meeting and wrote 27 letters to this effect,” he said.
On July 14, 2014, the former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had requested the Centre for water reallocation, he added. While extending support to the resolution introduced by the government, he demanded that the state government tender an apology for agreeing to hand over the projects. He also said that the Centre has set up a tribunal as they strived for it in the last nine years.
Responding to state government’s allegations, Harish said that a GO was issued regarding Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme (RLIS) on May 5, 2020, and they lodged a complaint on May 12, 2020 requesting to stop it. “We will not tolerate the attempts of mudslinging,” he said.
Later in the day, the BRS released a PPT titled “Congress lies on Krishna waters, and facts presented by BRS” in response to the presentation made by Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy in the Assembly.