Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], April 3 (ANI): Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader Ravula Sridhar Reddy on Friday slammed Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil's statement on the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project, asserting that spreading venom against the state will not change the facts.

The dispute centres on the financial and structural integrity of the Kaleshwaram project, which the BRS defends as 'Telangana's lifeline,' defending the Kaleshwaram project, Reddy called it a game-changer for Telangana's irrigation and energy sectors.

He criticised Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat's comments, saying the project's benefits will last 100 years. Reddy accused Andhra leaders of spreading negativity due to their business interests in Telangana,

Patil stated that over 1 lakh crore of public money was 'lost' or 'wasted' due to poor planning and design defects. He specifically pointed to the structural failures at the Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla barrages as evidence of these flaws.

'It has been 12 years since Telangana was formed... During 10 years of KCR's rule, Telangana became a role model for the country in irrigation, energy... It is unfortunate that the Union Jal Shakti Minister spoke of Rs 1 lakh crore being washed away in the Kaleshwaram project. They must understand that it is the world's largest lift irrigation project, because of which Telangana will not face water issues for the next 100 years... Many Andhra leaders have businesses here. Many Andhra parliamentarians, their Chief Ministers, and legislators come here for opportunities. Spreading venom against Telangana is not going to change the facts...' said Reddy.

Earlier, Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil alleged large-scale wastage of public funds in the implementation of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project, claiming that hundreds of crores of taxpayers' money had been wasted into the project' Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, Patil attributed the project's failure to fundamental flaws in its planning and design.

These remarks were made after BRS MP KR Suresh Reddy urged the Union government to grant national project status to Kaleshwaram.

Reddy and other BRS leaders, including T Harish Rao, argued that the project is a global engineering marvel that has fundamentally transformed Telangana's agriculture. They highlight that: It is the world's largest multi-stage lift irrigation project. It has increased the state's cultivable land from 1.31 crore acres in 2014 to 2.2 crore acres in 2023.

The Centre itself (including the Central Water Commission) had previously granted all necessary approvals and even praised the project in earlier years.

Meanwhile, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy challenged opposition parties to visit his state and witness the successful implementation of the six guarantees by the Congress government.

He made these remarks while releasing the United Democratic Front (UDF) manifesto for the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections.

Taking a swipe at Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Reddy referred to them as 'Modi Brothers', drawing parallels between their tenures and alleging unbridled corruption, administrative incompetence, and despotic rule.

'I would personally demonstrate to CM Vijayan and his ministers how the guarantees have been implemented in a true spirit if the Kerala CM delegation visits Telangana,' Revanth Reddy said.

Releasing the UDF manifesto, the Telangana CM declared that the 'dark era' of Vijayan had come to an end and expressed confidence that a 'Golden era' under the UDF was about to begin. (ANI)