Niranjan Reddy Slams CM Over Water Diversion To AP

Former BRS minister S Niranjan Reddy today launched a scathing attack on Chief Minister Revanth Reddy alleging that the latter was paying guru dakshina to his mentor, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, by diverting Telangana's water resources to Andhra Pradesh.

Addressing a press conference at Telangana Bhavan, Niranjan Reddy accused the Congress government of perpetuating injustice in the irrigation sector, and said that similar policies had historically harmed Telangana's interests.

He recalled that the Statehood movement, led by K Chandrashekar Rao, was rooted in resisting such disparities.

He alleged that Andhra Pradesh was violating norms governing the Krishna river water sharing under the interim agreement while the Telangana government remained a mute spectator. The BRS leader said that Andhra Pradesh had drawn excessive water over the past two years while Telangana's utilisation remained minimal.

Questioning the State's inaction, the BRS leader asked why no demand had been made to convene a meeting of the Apex Council, and criticised the "delay in operating lift irrigation pumps despite high flood levels" in the Krishna river this year.

He also alleged that Andhra Pradesh was carrying out inter-basin water transfers to projects including Handri Neeva, Galeru-Nagari and the Penna Basin, and was now attempting to divert the Godavari river waters into the Krishna basin via Banakacherla.

Citing the impact on farmers, the former minister said that crops in Nalgonda and Palamuru districts were at a crucial stage but a lack of irrigation threatened to destroy them.

He also criticised Union ministers Kishan Reddy and Bandi Sanjay for "remaining silent", and asked why they had not intervened despite the Krishna River Management Board falling under the Centre's purview.

In a sharp remark, he asked whether CM Revanth Reddy was running a government or a circus, accusing the administration of failing both to utilise the available water and to prevent its alleged diversion.