HYDERABAD: A day after participating in a meeting convened by the Union government to address river water disputes, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy urged his Andhra Pradesh counterpart N Chandrababu Naidu not to obstruct irrigation projects in Palamuru, located in the erstwhile Mahbubnagar district. He also called on the AP government to halt the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme, which proposes to draw 3 tmcft of water daily from the Srisailam reservoir.
Revanth was addressing a public meeting, “Prajapalana - Pragathi Baata” in Jatprole, Kollapur Assembly constituency, after laying the foundation stone for a Young India Integrated Residential School. The school is to be developed on 25 acres at an estimated cost of Rs 200 crore.
“We are making sincere appeals to support irrigation projects, including Bheema, Nettempadu, Koilsagar and Palamuru-Rangareddy. If our appeals go unheeded, we will strongly resist. I will take responsibility for leading that fight,” he said.
Criticising the previous BRS government, Revanth said it had encouraged caste-based occupations, while the current Congress government was focused on promoting education. “We are setting up Young India Schools to educate people,” he said.
CM blames KCR for incomplete irrigation works in Palamuru region
The chief minister reiterated his government’s commitment to issuing one lakh job notifications within the first half of its five-year term and expressed confidence in returning to power in the next election. “Note this not just in your diary but in both your heart and your son’s — I will be the chief minister until 2034,” he said.
Revanth launched a sharp attack on BRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao, blaming the former chief minister for the underdevelopment of the Palamuru region, incomplete irrigation works, and lack of support for displaced families despite being elected to the Lok Sabha from the region.
“Palamuru elected you to Parliament despite your having no connection to the region. But what did you give in return?” he said, accusing KCR of neglecting the region for 10 years.
The chief minister also criticised the Kaleshwaram project, referring to it as “Kooleshwaram”, and alleged it had failed within three years despite costing Rs 1 lakh crore.
“You sidelined Palamuru projects for a decade. We will complete them in two years,” Revanth averred.
Referring to the Congress performance in the Mahbubnagar district, he remarked that another MLA from the area could have been included in the Cabinet if all 14 seats had been won, instead of 12.
The event drew thousands of attendees and witnessed a show of strength by the Congress. Ministers Jupally Krishna Rao, Damodar Rajanarsimha, Vakiti Srihari, along with legislators, corporation chairpersons and senior IAS officials were present on the occasion.