BRS Working President KT Rama Rao on Tuesday lashed out at both the BJP and Congress, alleging a coordinated political conspiracy targeting his father and former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao over the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project.
Speaking to ANI, KTR asserted that the Kaleshwaram project — hailed as the world’s largest lift irrigation initiative — is being unfairly vilified for political gain. “Rahul Gandhi and the BJP are together in this. The entire system is intact. Of over 100 components, only two pillars in a single barrage are damaged. I believe this may have been caused deliberately by Congress. This is pure political vendetta and a smear campaign,” he said.
KTR strongly defended the legacy of KCR, stating that under his leadership the project was completed within four years, delivering water to 45 lakh acres of farmland. “Despite malicious attempts to discredit it, the people of Telangana and the commission will recognise the good done by BRS. The truth will ultimately prevail,” he added.
The remarks came as K Chandrashekhar Rao appeared before the PC Ghosh Commission to respond to allegations of irregularities in the Kaleshwaram project.
Earlier, BJP MP Konda Vishweshwar Reddy had labelled the project “the world’s biggest engineering blunder” and a “huge scam,” blaming it for Telangana’s financial crisis. He alleged the project contributed significantly to the state’s debt, which has reportedly reached Rs 8 lakh crore.
Meanwhile, senior BRS leaders, including former Irrigation Minister Harish Rao and former Finance Minister Etela Rajender — now a BJP MP — have also been summoned by the commission as part of the inquiry into the project.
