KCR Uttering Lies Out Of Depression And Frustration: Congress

Minister for Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy strongly refuted the allegations by BRS chief and former chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao that the Congress government was responsible for the drought conditions in some parts of Telangana.

Addressing a press conference at Gandhi Bhavan, Reddy said that every word KCR spoke at the press meet in Suryapet on Sunday was a blatant lie.

Claiming that the BRS had completely disintegrated and was on the verge of extinction, the minister said that BRS was unique in that it was trying to become the first regional party in India to transition into a national party but faced complete annihilation after a single electoral defeat.

He predicted that the BRS would fail to secure a single seat in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, leaving only KCR and his family members within the party.

The minister also claimed that during KCR's tenure as Chief Minister he enjoyed a lavish lifestyle sticking to either the palatial Pragathi Bhavan or his farmhouse, but since losing power, out of frustration, was now stepping out, under the pretence of meeting drought-affected farmers.

He accused KCR of peddling falsehoods during his entire tour, exemplifying an incident where the power supply for KCR's press conference relied on a generator.

The minister criticised the BRS president for wrongly blaming the Congress government for power supply issues, despite the government's efforts to ensure uninterrupted electricity across Telangana.

"There are no power shortages or power cuts for any sector in any part of Telangana as being falsely allegedly by KCR," Reddy said.

He also claimed that KCR lacked the authority to comment on the power supply situation in Telangana. Referring to his prior interaction with NTPC Chairman Gurdeep Singh during his tenure as a Lok Sabha member, Reddy said that the previous BRS government had failed to cooperate with the NTPC in providing land and water in time for the establishment of the promised 4,000 MW power plant despite the NTPC bearing the remaining project costs.

He also criticised the previous BRS government for completing only one power project in a decade - the Bhadradri Power Plant - and that too by utilising outdated sub-critical technology. This decision, he stressed, had excessively burdened the public exchequer, with cost overruns exceeding thrice the standard rates of regular plants.

Similarly, the Yadadri power plant, started by the then-CM KCR, had been enormously delayed and had had cost overruns, Reddy claimed.

Reddy also criticised KCR for shedding "crocodile tears" over crop damages due to drought, and said that Telangana was the only State among 29 States without crop insurance against natural disasters. He also attributed the onset of drought to the closing stages of the BRS regime, and said that the Congress government was diligently addressing the drought situation.

Reddy also alleged that the previous BRS government had ruined the irrigation sector during the ten years, and said that KCR should feel ashamed and apologise to the people for orchestrating what he deemed the largest fraud and scam in independent India's history. The minister emphasised that even the State government was awaiting the interim report from the National Dam Safety Authority regarding damages to the Kaleshwaram project.

Reddy also criticised the BRS government's Mission Bhagiratha, labelling it a complete failure and referring to it as "Commission Bhagiratha". He said that there would have been no shortage of drinking water if the Mission Bhagiratha project had been successful.

The minister added that huge loans were procured at high interest rates for these projects, but the BRS government achieved nothing fruitful.

He also rejected KCR's accusation of Telangana's projects being transferred to the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB), and clarified that the Congress government had unanimously passed a resolution in the Assembly firmly rejecting the relinquishment of project control to the KRMB.

Reddy also ridiculed KCR's claim of resolving Hyderabad's drinking water problem. He said that the previous Congress regimes had orchestrated the transportation of Krishna and Godavari river waters to Hyderabad in different phases, with no involvement from the BRS.

The minister also totally dismissed the allegations of farmers' suicides.