Etala Rajender’s Testimony Before Ghose Commission Damages His Prospects to Become Next BJP President

Hyderabad: BJP MP Etala Rajendar’s statement before the P.C. Ghose commission investigating alleged irregularities in the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation scheme (KLIS) — saying the then BRS Cabinet took a collective decision — has sparked controversy within the state BJP. His testimony, seen as a departure from the party’s strong anti-BRS stance, has led to accusations of a "dual stand" and may harm his prospects of becoming the BJP’s next state president.

The BJP has consistently branded KLIS as a symbol of corruption during the then-chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao’s rule, with leaders from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah calling it an "ATM" for the Kalvakuntla family. Rajender had previously echoed these accusations and had demanded Rao’s resignation over the alleged scam.

State BJP leaders have pushed for a CBI probe into what has been called the Rs 1 lakh crore KLIS scam, and Rajendar himself had blamed Rao as being the “whole and sole” person responsible.

However, before the Ghose commission, Rajendar, finance minister in the BRS government, when the Kaleshwaram scheme was cleared, distanced himself from blame, attributing the KLIS-related decisions to collective Cabinet approval and technical committees, which diluted the BJP’s hardline narrative.

After his testimony, he stated that while Rao had claimed that Kaleshwaram was his dream and decided the project’s location, the Cabinet had collectively approved it, causing confusion among BJP workers.

This apparent shift has angered BJP activists. A senior BJP leader from Medchal said Rajendar’s testimony had betrayed the party’s core stand and destroyed his leadership chances. Another functionary questioned his loyalty, calling Rajendar’s reluctance to directly oppose Rao baffling. After a recent party workshop at Medchal (Urban), a leader called Rajendar’s ambiguous stance a betrayal of the party’s anti-corruption fight, weakening its moral authority.

The Congress seized the opportunity to accuse Rajendar of shielding Chandrashekar Rao and demanded clarity on whether his statements reflected his personal views or the BJP's policy. Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao has contradicted Rajendar, stating the Kaleshwaram project was never approved by the Cabinet but pushed through executive orders by Rao.

Nageswara Rao accused Rajendar of misleading the commission and challenged him to provide proof of Cabinet approval for the KILS projects.