KCR Silent On Jagan's Brazen Illegal Water Diversion: BJP

Speaking after the Apex Council meeting chaired by union Jal Shakti minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and participated in by the Chief Ministers of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh today, senior Telangana BJP leaders accused Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao of severely compromising the interests of the state.

BJP Telangana chief spokesperson K Krishnasagar Rao said that the Pothireddypadu head regulator expansion project and the Rayalaseema lift irrigation scheme were both illegal projects which didn't have any permissions either from the CWC or the KRMB, and that the party suspected KCR's intentions in this issue of Krishna water diversion to Andhra Pradesh when 69,00,000 acres were unirrigated in Mahabubnagar, Nalgonda, Rangareddy and Khammam.

"The Andhra Pradesh government's brazenness in taking water from the Krishna basin and using it in the Penna basin in violation of all fundamental national and international water laws is shocking. Why is KCR silent on these brazen illegal diversion by AP CM Jagan? What is stopping KCR from going to the Supreme Court and appealing against these violations?" Rao asked.

He said that the BJP strongly believed that KCR could get an immediate stay on these illegal projects given how robustly the facts were on his side, and was thus suspicious of KCR's intentions behind allowing AP to openly draw excess water while lakhs of acres of Telangana lands were unirrigated.

"The BJP undertook a protest program in Delhi this afternoon to demand that KCR stand up for the water rights of Telangana, and also stall the proposed illegal projects being constructed in Andhra Pradesh to draw unawarded water from the Krishna river from the foreshores of Srisailam. History will not forgive KCR if he doesn't protect the interests of the millions of poor farmers in Telangana, especially after coming to power twice on the promise of irrigating every inch of Telangana," Rao said.

BJP state president Bandi Sanjay Kumar made similar noises. He also alleged that the Chief Ministers of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh had conspired with each other over the allocation of river water, and said that that was proved from the meeting of the Apex Council.

He claimed that Telangana was facing problems due to KCR originally agreeing to just 299 TMC of water instead of 575 TMC, and that the BJP had been pointing that out for a long time. He said that the AP CM had used the same point in the Apex Council meeting to defend AP's drawing of waters.

Kumar asked KCR where he would keep his face now. He also alleged that KCR was doing injustice to the state by citing a tribunal.