Congress, BJP Spar Over Mamnoor Airport Credit

Warangal: A political dispute over credit for the Mamnoor Airport project intensified in the erstwhile Warangal district after Union civil aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu announced that the airport would be made operational by June 2, 2028.

Leaders of the Congress and the BJP held separate programmes in Warangal within hours of the announcement, each claiming a decisive role in the project. Party workers performed milk ablutions to portraits of Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, respectively, while trading accusations over responsibility for the airport.

BJP leaders, including former MLAs Dr Rajeswara Rao and Marthineni Dharma Rao, along with party functionaries, organised an event at the proposed Mamnoor Airport site. They performed milk ablutions to Prime Minister Modi’s portrait and said the BJP-led Central government had played the key role in securing the project, from sanction to fund allocation. They alleged that the Telangana government was attempting to claim credit for work undertaken by the Centre.

Congress leaders held celebrations following a meeting between Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and Union minister Ram Mohan Naidu in New Delhi, where it was announced that tenders for the airport terminal would be invited within two to three weeks and that the airport would be completed by June 2, 2028.

At the District Congress Committee office, district president Engala Venkatram Reddy, Warangal West MLA Naini Rajender Reddy, and MP Kadiyam Kavya led the programme, performing milk ablutions to the Chief Minister’s portrait. Congress leaders said the state government had expedited land acquisition, secured administrative clearances, and maintained coordination with the Centre, crediting Revanth Reddy’s intervention with advancing the project.

Residents welcomed the project and expressed hope that authorities would adhere to the announced timeline rather than continue the dispute over credit.