BJP says Congress minister’s meeting aims to raise Telangana sentiment before polls
Hyderabad: The BJP on Wednesday accused the Congress government in the state of political grandstanding over Andhra Pradesh’s Godavari-Banakacharla link project and that a meeting of MPs from all parties called by irrigation minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy at the Secretariat is aimed at slinging mud at the BJP and the BRS and “raise Telangana sentiment in the run up to the local body elections in the state.”
Arvind Dharmapuri, the BJP MP from Nizamabad, speaking with reporters at his party office, said Uttam Kumar Reddy has no clue about irrigation, has no idea where funds will come from, and had no answers to the question on why Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy did not take up the matter of the project with his AP counterpart, N. Chandrababu Naidu.
“This was a project that KCR ( former chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao) agreed to when Jagan (Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy) was the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh. And why did Revanth not hold a meeting with Chandrababu Naidu to tell him how the project will affect Telangana?” Arvind asked.
Responding to questions on what the BJP stands is with respect to Telangana’s river water shares, he said the BJP will never allow any loss to Telangana. He, however, said that it will be the Central Water Commission that will decide on the project, and that there are the Godavari and Krishna rivers water boards and tribunals whose guidelines need to be followed.
Accusing Uttam Kumar Reddy of “being half in the BRS and half in Congress,” Arvind alleged that the Irrigation Minister when he was the TPCC president, gave tickets to candidates as per instructions from the then chief minister and BRS president K Chandrashekar Rao. “And now he called for a meeting to do politics on KCR’s instructions,” the BJP MP alleged.
