The leaders will seek release of 3 TMC of water for Mahabubnagar and the modernisation of the Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme, of Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah.
The Leader of Opposition in the Telangana Legislative Council Mohammed Ali Shabbir said that a delegation of Telangana Congress leaders would meet Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah seeking release of 3 TMC of water for the Mahabubnagar district and the modernisation of the Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme.
Addressing a press conference at Gandhi Bhavan on Saturday, Shabbir Ali said that the issues pertaining to the RDS and the release of water to Mahabubnagar were discussed during a meeting of Telangana Congress leaders with AICC General Secretary Digvijay Singh during their recent visit to New Delhi. Subsequently, Singh spoke to the Karnataka Chief Minister and fixed a meeting with him on May 10 in Bengaluru.
Besides Shabbir Ali, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly K Jana Reddy, TPCC president N Uttam Kumar Reddy, MLAs D K Aruna, G Chinna Reddy, A Sampath Kumar and C Vamshichand Reddy, MLC Ponguleti Sudhakar Reddy, Mahabubnagar DCC President Obedullah Kotwal and 10 farmers from the Mahabubnagar district will meet the Karnataka Chief Minister at his camp office in Bengaluru on May 10 at 6 pm.
Shabbir Ali said that the Karnataka CM would be urged to take up the issue of the modernisation of canal works on Package Numbers 1 & 2 of the RDS and raising the anicut height by 6 inches. He said that about 83,987 acres of ayacut in the drought-prone Alampur constituency of the Mahabubnagar district would benefit if Packages 1 & 2 works were taken up. About 15.9 TMC of water is to be given through the RDS.
Shabbir Ali said that the Karnataka Chief Minister would also be requested to release 3 TMC of water from Narayanpur to Jurala for drinking purposes. He also informed that Alampur MLA Sampath Kumar would be staging a massive dharna in his constituency on May 9 on these issues.
Reacting to the allegations by the TRS of that the Congress was not extending its support in the ongoing controversy over irrigation projects, Shabbir Ali said that Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao had never convened an all-Party meeting on any issue, but he expected the main Opposition party to support his government.
He said that KCR was not serious on resolving the inter-State water disputes, and his focus was still confined to winning elections and encouraging defections.
"It was due to KCR's non-serious approach that the Telangana Congress itself took the initiative of resolving the issue of Rajoulibanda Diversion Scheme," he said.
Shabbir Ali also accused KCR and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu of trying to incite sentiments on the issue of irrigation projects.
"On one hand, they share Biryani, fish and prawns. But on the other, they try to act as if they are bitter rivals. People have seen enough pictures of KCR and Naidu exchanging warm greetings and costly gifts. KCR had once claimed to have a guru-shishya relationship with Naidu. But when anything goes wrong, they straightaway blame the Congress. They must stop enacting these political dramas," he said.
The Congress leader said that almost all the irrigation projects in Telangana were initiated during the previous Congress Rule. They included major projects like Pranahita, Jurala, RDS, Kalwakurthy and Nettampadu.
"We had taken the initiative to irrigate about 95 lakh acres of land in Telangana. KCR is just trying to create a hype around projects which would irrigate about 5 lakh acres. The Congress will intervene on all issues and use all its resources to resolve inter-State disputes, if they arise," he said.
Shabbir Ali also slammed Industries Minister K Taraka Rama Rao for his remarks against the Congress.
"The Congress is a 132-year-old party and spread across the country. It is like the Ganga river which will keep flowing despite several hurdles and obstacles. TRS will become extinct after a few years, but the Congress will remain the biggest political party in India. KCR and KTR should stop exhibiting their arrogance. KTR must realise that his father KCR began his political career from the Congress, and today his family is enjoying power due to the Congress which granted statehood for Telangana," he said.