HYDERABAD: The announcement by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy in the Assembly that the state government would hand over the investigation into the alleged irregularities in the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has set off ripples in both the BJP and the BRS.
Congress leaders insist this was no impulsive decision but a calculated strike by the chief minister. They say Revanth has forced the BJP onto the defensive: either honour its election manifesto promise of a CBI inquiry into Kaleshwaram or face charges of shielding the BRS. A senior Congress functionary put it succinctly: “The CM has fired the shot from the BJP’s shoulder. If they don’t act, it’s collusion. If they do, the BRS is cornered.”
Understandably, the BJP’s reaction has been cautious. The state unit has demanded that the Union government approve the probe and claimed evidence has already been shared with the CBI. Yet, behind the scenes, the doubt lingers: Will the Centre authorise the agency to dig deep into Telangana, or quietly shelve the request to protect its strategic interests?
The BRS, meanwhile, has lashed out at both the Congress and the BJP. Its leaders accused Revanth of colluding with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to target KCR and Harish Rao. They have pointed out the contradiction between Rahul Gandhi’s past criticism of central agencies as BJP “front organisations” and the Congress government’s willingness to hand the probe into the state’s biggest irrigation project to the same CBI.
For Congress, however, the optics are key. Either the BJP delivers on the probe, or it hesitates. Both scenarios give Revanth ammunition. The drama now shifts to New Delhi: How will the Union government respond to being cornered in its own play?