It is being wondered if the promised counter-presentation to KCR's presentation on irrigation in the Telangana Assembly will ever be given by the Congress.
Not only outsiders, even the Congress insiders are discussing about the counter computer-based presentation on irrigation projects supposed to be given by the Party. Their doubt is over when, and, increasingly, even if, the counter-presentation to Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao's presentation in the Telangana Assembly will be given by the Congress.
It may be recalled that the Congress, which abstained from the presentation by KCR, announced immediately after that presentation on the last day of the Budget session on March 30 that it would make a presentation of its own countering the CM's claims. First it announced that the presentation would be on April 9, and later that it would be on April 15. The dates and days are both gone and now even April is gone, but there has been no presentation yet.
It is learnt that the Congress is in confusion over how to give the presentation to counter the Chief Minister's claims. According to Congress sources, they were depending on retired engineer Hanumantha Rao, who had strongly stated that the Pranahitha-Chevella project should be constructed at Thummidihatti and not at Kaleswaram. But irrigation minister T Harish Rao met Hanumatha Rao at the latter's residence and discussed on the positives and negatives of Thummidihatti, and reportedly Hanumantha Rao was convinced with Harish Rao's argument.
A senior Congress leader on condition of anonymity lamented that when Hanumantha Rao, who strongly supported the Congress' previous designs on the Pranahitha-Chevella project and whose arguments the Congress was depending on, was now himself convinced by the government's stand, it was barely possible for the Congress to prepare counter the government's argument.
Since it was not possible to prepare the proposed presentation without the engineers' support, some TPCC leaders approached New Democracy leader N Goverdhan. However, Goverdhan prepared altogether new plans by changing even the designs made by the Congress government when in power. The Congress leaders feel that this might boomerang. "Changing our own design means indirectly accepting that the designs needed changing, thereby strengthening the TRS stance," one of the Congress leaders opined.
Apparently one of the senior leaders suggested that the Congress leadership in the State traverse the entire Godavari river in four teams and ask the local people about the availability of water in the Godavari. "But nobody listened to that suggestion. The Opposition party has to go to the people, and only then is it possible to win the hearts of the people. It is not possible to win the people over by sitting in Gandhi Bhavan and giving presentations inside the four walls," the Congress leader who made the suggestion said.
Some section of the Congress leaders criticised the Party's decision of abstaining from the Chief Minister's presentation. But at that time the leadership had felt that it was not correct on the part of the Chief Minister to give the presentation in the Legislative Assembly, and if the Congress MLAs and MLCs had attended the presentation, it would be tacit approval of the move.
In any case, the Chief Minister is now all set to lay the foundation stone tomorrow (May 2) at Kaleswaram, and there has been no counter presentation yet, which seems to put paid to hopes that it would ever happen.