Hyderabad, Jul 16 (PTI) BRS working president K T Rama Rao on Wednesday alleged that Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy "handed over" the rights of Telangana people over river waters to his Andhra Pradesh counterpart N Chandrababu Naidu.
Responding on the meeting held in Delhi by Union Jal Shakti Minister C R Patil with Reddy and Naidu on water issues, Rao charged that Telangana people are being given a raw deal by the CM.
"You (Revanth Reddy) bluff that the Banakacharla issue was not even discussed (in the meeting convened by Patil). Is it to hand over Godavari waters as 'Guru Dakshina' that you are elected to power?," Rao said in a post on 'X'.
'Guru Dakshina' (teacher's fee) is a reference to Reddy serving as a key leader in Naidu's TDP before joining Congress in 2017.
The Polavaram (Godavari)- Banakacharla link project proposed by the Andhra Pradesh government has been strongly opposed by Telangana, saying it hurts the state's interests.
In a separate release, Rao challenged Reddy for a public debate "at the Medigadda barrage on the latter's allegation that the Kaleshwaram project built during the previous BRS regime had "collapsed".
Countering Rao's comments, Congress MP Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy said the former was speaking with "malice and jealousy" against the CM.
He also said Rao could not obtain the Centre's approval for even a single Telangana project on Krishna, Godavari rivers though BRS was in power for 10 years.
The Kaleshwaram project on Godavari, built during the previous BRS regime, has "collapsed" and many officials involved in its construction are now facing investigation by the state's Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) for alleged corruption to the tune of "hundreds of crores", Kiran Kumar Reddy said, adding that Rao is not able to reply to it.
Speaking to reporters in Delhi after attending the meeting convened by Union Minister Patil, CM Reddy said the Centre has agreed to several crucial proposals aimed at resolving long-pending water-sharing disputes between the state and Andhra Pradesh, including setting up telemetry systems and river management boards.