Congress hits back, demands accountability

Why KCR removed Harish Rao from the Irrigation portfolio. Opposition was avoiding accountability for its own decisions, asks Jagga Reddy

Jagga Reddy, Working President of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC), launched a sharp attack on former Irrigation Minister Harish Rao over his remarks on Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project, accusing the BRS leader of attempting to shift responsibility for the project's failures onto the Congress government and for targeting CM Revanth Reddy.

Addressing a press conference at Gandhi Bhavan, Jagga Reddy said Harish Rao, who supervised the construction of the Kaleshwaram project as Irrigation Minister, must take responsibility for its current condition instead of blaming the Congress government. He questioned how the Congress could be held accountable for structural issues in a project executed during the BRS regime.

Jagga Reddy also asked why former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao removed Harish Rao from the Irrigation portfolio, suggesting that lapses during construction contributed to the present crisis. He pointed out that the Dam Safety Authority had already advised against storing water at the Medigadda Barrage due to safety concerns and the potential threat to downstream regions, including Bhadrachalam and Khammam.

Accusing the BRS leadership of unfairly targeting Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, Jagga Reddy said the opposition was avoiding accountability for its own decisions. He challenged Harish Rao to accept the Chief Minister's invitation to bring KCR to the Assembly for an open debate on the Kaleshwaram issue.