Telangana Irrigation Projects Spark Political Firestorm: BRS Accuses Congress and BJP of "Dirty Politics"
HYDERABAD, May 22, 2025 – A war of words has erupted in Telangana over the state’s ambitious irrigation projects, with the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) accusing both the ruling Congress party and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre of engaging in "dirty politics." BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao fired the opening salvo, alleging that the opposition parties were spreading disinformation about the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS) and the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP). He claimed that the Supreme Court’s recent proceedings had exposed the Congress’s false narrative on PRLIS, and predicted a similar outcome for the KLIP controversy.
Rama Rao’s accusations came during an informal press conference in Hyderabad, where he dismissed the Congress’s criticism of KLIP as a diversionary tactic to deflect attention from their alleged "misrule." He further alleged that the Congress was attempting to create a pretext to dismantle and rebuild the KLIP barrages, enabling them to extract hefty commissions through new tender processes. The BRS leader claimed that the state government’s recent issuance of notices to key BRS figures, including party president K. Chandrasekhar Rao and former minister T. Harish Rao, was a theatrical ploy in response to the BRS’s ongoing exposure of the Congress’s alleged corrupt practices.
The BRS working president also criticized the Chief Minister, A. Revanth Reddy, for his perceived inconsistent stance on various issues, accusing him of suffering from "multiple personality disorder." Rama Rao questioned the propriety of the Chief Minister’s involvement in the Miss World pageant amidst the tragic loss of 580 farmers due to untimely rains and crop damage. He also censured the Chief Minister for his alleged failure to visit the site of the devastating Gulzar Houz fire, which he described as the worst fire accident in Telangana’s history.
The BRS leader’s comments have further fueled the ongoing political tensions in the state, with the Congress and BJP expected to issue counter-statements. The controversy surrounding the irrigation projects has become a central battleground in the state’s political landscape, with each party vying to control the narrative. The BRS has consistently defended the projects as crucial for Telangana’s agricultural development, while the opposition parties have raised concerns about their cost-effectiveness and alleged irregularities.
The Supreme Court’s involvement in the PRLIS case has added another layer of complexity to the issue. While Rama Rao claimed that the court proceedings vindicated the BRS’s position, the details of the case and the court’s observations are yet to be fully disclosed. The outcome of the legal proceedings will likely have a significant impact on the political discourse surrounding the irrigation projects. As the political temperature rises, the focus on the irrigation projects is expected to intensify in the coming days, with both the BRS and the opposition parties seeking to gain public support for their respective positions.
The irrigation projects have become a symbol of the ongoing political power struggle in Telangana, highlighting the deep divisions between the ruling and opposition parties. With elections on the horizon, the battle over the narrative surrounding these projects is likely to become even more fierce. The public’s perception of the projects and their impact on the state’s development could play a decisive role in determining the outcome of the upcoming elections. The BRS is banking on the success of these projects to bolster its image as a pro-development force, while the opposition parties are attempting to exploit the controversies surrounding them to erode the BRS’s support base.