KCR questions Modi for the delay on water sharing
PNS|Hyderabad
Slamming the NDA government at the Centre for not deciding the share of Telangana in Krishna River waters, Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao said that people should question BJP leaders on this issue.
He was speaking at a public meeting at Kollapur in Nagarkurnool district on Saturday after inaugurating the Palamuru Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS).
He took exception to some BJP activists running behind his bus when he was coming for the inauguration of the project and the public meeting.
He hit out at the NDA government for not taking steps to determine Telangana’s share in Krishna River waters after it came to power in 2014.
In a blistering attack, he claimed that BJP leaders from undivided Mahbubnagar district should go to New Delhi and tell Modi to refer the matter of Telangana’s share of Krishna waters to the Krishna tribunal if they “have any sense of shame.”
“We asked for water. We said, Narendra Modi, you decide how much share our Palamuru (another name for Mahbubnagar) and Telangana will get in Krishna waters. We should get (our share) as per the Constitution and law. We have to build the Palamuru Lift Irrigation Scheme,” he said.
“But the Prime Minister who claims to be ‘Vishwaguru,’ the BJP and its leaders and activists in Mahbubnagar district must speak about this. Will it take 10 years?” KCR said.
All that the Centre has to do is to write to the Krishna Tribunal to distribute the water between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, he said. “But, Modi does not respond to it,” he said.
The Telangana government had gone to the Supreme Court for determination of its share in the Krishna water but the Centre asked it to withdraw the case promising to refer the matter to the tribunal.
One year has passed since the Centre made the suggestion but there has been no progress, he said.
He asked people to ask BJP leaders why the matter has not been referred to the Krishna Tribunal in the last 10 years.
The right to question is part of democracy, he said. KCR said that Telangana is only asking for its share.
“I submit to either the Centre or others or Andhra people. We don’t want your water.
We don’t want to pocket anyone’s property. If our share is told to us we will take water accordingly. We are not asking for other people’s property. Telangana never asked for it,” he said.
“Now people will come with a bell, that we did everything. For 70 years when Palamuru wept nobody cared. Wasn’t this the Congress which defeated Palamuru for 50 years? Who said I would adopt Palamuru and kept projects pending? Wasn’t that Chandrababu Naidu? Did anyone help us?” he said.
“In the 16 years of rule by the TDP did we get even one medical college? Now we are producing doctors,” KCR said.
“Didn’t Chandrababu say he will develop Telangana? Who laid foundation stones and kept projects pending claiming to adopt? Wasn’t that TDP supremo Chandrababu Naidu?” he said.
He recalled that Chandrababu said he would adopt Palamuru but still, it hasn’t developed.
“Today switching on Palamuru pump, I was as happy as I was when Telangana was formed in 2014,” the CM said.
KCR highlighted the welfare schemes and progressive measures of his government, including ‘Rythu Bandhu’ investment support scheme for farmers, social security pensions, the inauguration of nine government medical colleges on Friday and the breakfast scheme for school children that would be launched soon.
