Revanth ‘Fixed’ Banakacharla Match With Chandrababu: Harish

Hyderabad: Former irrigation minister T. Harish Rao on Friday said Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy had yet again proved his loyalty to his former leader and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu “through match-fixing on AP’s Godavari-Banakacharla project.”

Harish Rao said that Revanth Reddy, speaking to mediapersons in New Delhi on Friday, had yet again made it clear that he was ready to settle for 1,000 tmc ft from the Godavari and 500 tmc ft from the Krishna river. “This will cause irreparable harm to Telangana’s rightful share of the water,” Harish Rao said.

The former irrigation minister said, “Revanth’s comments today have made it amply clear that the proposal to hold Cabinet discussions and talks with Chandrababu are part of a match-fixing arrangement decided in advance.”

Harish Rao, in a statement, said former chief minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao had demanded a rightful share of 968 tmc ft from the Godavari based on existing Government Orders, in addition to 1,950 tmc ft out of the 3,000 tmc ft that flows into the sea. This totals to a demand of 2,918 tmc ft.

“In contrast, Revanth Reddy’s approach to limit Telangana’s share to just 1,000 tmc ft is nothing short of a conspiracy. KCR also fought before the Krishna Waters Disputes Tribunal staking claim to 763 tmc ft of Krishna waters. Revanth Reddy’s willingness to settle for only 500 tmc ft shows a complete betrayal of Telangana’s interests,” Harish Rao said.

“Why has Revanth Reddy not demanded an Apex Council meeting when he met Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil in Delhi on Thursday? Why is he instead of this approach, proposing talks with Chandrababu? Should this be seen as a ‘Guru Dakshina’ by Revanth to Chandrababu Naidu,” Harish Rao asked.