HYDERABAD: State BJP president N Ramchander Rao on Friday demanded that Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy clarify the state’s position on the Tungabhadra river water-sharing arrangement among Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.
He expressed concern that the proposed Navali Balancing Reservoir project in Karnataka, with a capacity of 35 tmc, and the Gundrevula project in Andhra Pradesh, with a capacity of 20 tmc, could adversely affect Telangana’s share of 15.9 tmc of water, reducing it to just 5 tmc.
Addressing a press conference at the party’s state headquarters here, Ramchander, while welcoming the repair of the river gates, demanded that the chief minister disclose the details of his discussions with Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil and explain the assurances, if any, secured in the interest of Telangana.
He alleged that both the Congress government and the previous BRS government under K Chandrasekhar Rao had failed to safeguard Telangana’s interests during the implementation of the Brijesh Kumar Tribunal awards concerning the Krishna and Godavari river basins. He maintained that the Centre had consistently acted as a mediator in resolving inter-state disputes.
Focus on strengthening party base in Telangana
Meanwhile, Ramchander said that the BJP’s national leadership had decided to focus specially on Telangana with the objective of strengthening the party at the grassroots level and steering it towards power in the state in the coming years.
He informed that BJP national president Nitin Nabin, as part of his three-day tour of Telangana beginning Sunday, would virtually inaugurate 10 newly constructed district party offices from the Rangareddy district office.
Later in the evening, he will participate in two meetings — one with booth-level presidents from the GHMC limits at the Hyderabad Exhibition Grounds and another with MPs, MLAs and MLCs at the BJP state office.
On the second day, Nabin will attend a special student conclave at the VBIT Engineering College campus before travelling to Warangal, where he will interact with representatives of tribal communities, including Lambadas, Koyas, Chenchus and Gonds. He will then participate in a meeting with booth presidents from the erstwhile Warangal district.
On the third day, Nabin will attend the BJP State Working Committee and office-bearers’ meeting at Ghatkesar, where he will provide organisational guidance before leaving for New Delhi in the afternoon.
Ramchander clarified that the visit is aimed solely at strengthening the party organisation and is not directly related to electoral activities.
‘Cong, AIMIM indulging in vote-bank politics’
On the issue of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), he accused the Congress and the AIMIM of indulging in vote-bank politics and attempting to create social polarisation.
He criticised AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi for allegedly misleading the public on citizenship documentation.
Citing a 2013 Bombay High Court judgment, Ramchander said a passport was merely a travel document and not conclusive proof of citizenship. He further pointed out that under Section 20 of the Passports Act, 1967, the Centre has the authority to issue passports to non-citizens in the public interest. He clarified that a passport is only one of the 12 documents accepted by the Election Commission for voter registration verification.
