Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], September 6 : BRS president K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) said the Telangana movement was undertaken and sacrifices were made to achieve a separate State primarily to secure irrigation and drinking water for the people. He said the NDSA’s statement had made it clear that the allegations and propaganda against the Kaleshwaram projects, described as the lifeline of Telangana, were baseless and that water was not being lifted due to a deliberate conspiracy.
According to the release, KCR said the neglect of the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme, which was 90 per cent complete during the previous BRS government, would not be tolerated.
He described it as unfortunate that water was not being released for crops despite sufficient water being available in projects such as Nagarjuna Sagar and Srisailam.
KCR called upon BRS MLAs and MLCs to prepare for a “water war” against the Congress government over the alleged injustice being done to Telangana in the matter of irrigation water.
He said he would soon sit down with other senior party leaders, discuss the issue and finalise the modalities for a direct public action programme.
With the Assembly session scheduled to begin on Monday, KCR held a joint meeting of the BRS Legislature Party with the party’s MLAs and MLCs at Erravelli on Sunday to discuss the strategy to be followed during the sessions.
KCR expressed anguish that the Congress government was turning the State Assembly into a platform for abusive language instead of a forum for discussing people’s problems. He called upon party MLAs and MLCs to strongly counter what he described as the Congress government’s undemocratic approach of making derogatory remarks against Opposition members in both Houses.
Speaking at the meeting, KCR expressed concern that the Congress government was allegedly facilitating the neighbouring State to utilise the waters of the Nagarjuna Sagar and Srisailam projects instead of making them available to Telangana farmers.
He questioned why the government was unable to provide irrigation and drinking water to the people of the erstwhile Nalgonda and Palamuru-Rangareddy regions even after the Palamuru projects had been completed to nearly 90 per cent, comparing the situation to a house that had been constructed but whose kitchen stove had not been lit.
KCR said that if minor repairs were carried out at Medigadda and the Kaleshwaram projects were brought back into use, farmers in nearly 13 districts could cultivate their crops. He demanded that the Congress government explain to the people why it was not making such an effort.
KCR warned that if the government continued to neglect Kaleshwaram in the same manner, he would personally announce an action programme involving lakhs of people for irrigation water and launch another battle for the rights of the State’s farmers, the release said.
KCR also held a detailed discussion with party legislators on the strategy to be adopted in both Houses during the Assembly session beginning Monday.
He directed MLAs and MLCs to question the government during the Assembly session over its failure to implement the guarantees and promises that it had pledged to fulfil within 100 days, despite nearly 1,000 days having passed since it came to power.
KCR expressed satisfaction over the success of the BRS protest programmes organised against the alleged failures of the Congress government during its 1,000-day tenure. He congratulated party working president K.T. Rama Rao, senior party leaders, district leadership and party workers for the success of the programmes.
He directed the party legislators to question the government in both Houses over what he described as its neglect of the welfare of poor people.
KCR expressed concern that poor and middle-class people in villages and towns were facing severe difficulties after patta lands were being included in the prohibited list under Section 22A. He said people were unable to sell their land even during emergencies such as arranging money for their children’s marriages or medical expenses. He directed party legislators to strongly question the government on the issue.
According to the release, he also asked them to press the government for answers on why water was not being released to Telangana farmers despite sufficient water being available in the Nagarjuna Sagar and Srisailam projects.
With drought-like conditions prevailing in the State, KCR criticised the Congress government for allegedly weakening drinking-water systems such as Mission Bhagiratha and failing to meet the drinking-water needs of the people. He directed party members to raise the issue on the floor of the House.
KCR criticised the government for allegedly weakening the fee reimbursement scheme that had enabled children from poor families to pursue higher education and build better futures. He directed party legislators to fight on behalf of students in the Assembly for the payment of pending fee reimbursement dues.
He asked party members to expose what he described as the Congress government’s misguided approach in introducing GO 97, which he alleged was damaging polytechnic education.
KCR said students pursuing technical education acquired vocational skills that helped them secure employment in the future. He accused the Congress government of jeopardising polytechnic institutions that provide technical and vocational education in various fields for what he described as vested interests.
Questioning the Congress government’s employment promises, KCR asked where the assurances of providing lakhs of jobs had gone after the party had allegedly made promises to unemployed youth before the elections.
He said unemployed youth across the State were distressed and questioning what he called the Congress party’s “deceptive promises”. He called upon BRS legislators to raise their voice in both Houses in support of the unemployed and question the government over job notifications and implementation of job calendars.
KCR criticised the Congress government for cancelling the Pharma City project established by the previous BRS government with the objective of creating a large-scale, world-class pharmaceutical industry. He alleged that the government had instead launched what he described as a major corruption exercise under the name of “Future City” by seeking to use poor people’s lands for real-estate activities. He directed party members to raise the issue in both Houses.
KCR alleged that corruption had increased substantially in Singareni coal mines, described as Telangana’s economic lifeline. He asked party legislators to question the Congress government’s policies, which he alleged had turned Singareni into a centre of scams and irregularities.
He also directed party members to question the government over the alleged indiscriminate sale of government lands without preserving them for the needs of future generations.
KCR alleged that the State government had taken control of the smoothly functioning Metro Rail system through what he described as ill-considered decisions, placing a huge financial burden on the State exchequer and pushing the system towards operational difficulties. He directed party legislators to question the government’s approach on such decisions in both Houses.
He asked party members to question the State government’s stand on the proposed Godavari-Cauvery river-linking project, alleging that it would cause serious loss to Telangana.
KCR called upon party members to prepare for a “water war” against what he described as a government conspiracy to deliberately weaken the Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages.
He said farmers and people across the State were facing severe difficulties in meeting their irrigation and drinking-water needs because of the government’s alleged failures.
Questioning the government’s delay in lifting water through the Palamuru-Rangareddy projects despite the previous BRS government having completed nearly 90 per cent of the project works, KCR directed party members to press the issue strongly and, if necessary, disrupt proceedings in both Houses.
He reiterated that he would soon discuss the issue with senior party leaders and district-level leaders and launch an action programme involving lakhs of people.
KCR also alleged that the government was undermining the State’s education system through ill-considered decisions and was attempting to reduce the number of government schools.
He said the previous BRS government had established a record by developing residential educational institutions into high-quality, world-class centres of education. He recalled that thousands of residential schools had been established for SC, ST and BC students to enable children from disadvantaged sections to compete at the global level, secure higher employment opportunities and build a better future.
KCR expressed serious concern over the deaths of students and girls in such residential schools. He directed party legislators to question the State government in the Assembly and Legislative Council over what he described as the deterioration of the education system.
He alleged that law and order had completely deteriorated in the State and that crimes against women had increased. He called upon party members to question the government over law-and-order issues during the Assembly session.
KCR expressed concern that the Congress government was allegedly immersed in nepotism and favouritism and that elected representatives and government institutions had become corrupt. He directed party members to expose the government’s alleged failures in dealing with corruption in both the Assembly and Legislative Council.
KCR said decisions being taken in the power sector could adversely affect consumers and were aimed at undermining free power. He said poor and middle-class families were already struggling to pay what he described as exorbitant electricity bills and alleged that power supply had become chaotic across the State.
He further alleged that the proposed formation of a separate agricultural DISCOM concealed a plan to withdraw free electricity for the farming sector. Against this backdrop, he directed party legislators to question the government in both Houses over what he described as its anti-people and anti-farmer power policies.
KCR described it as shameful that funds such as provident fund dues payable to retired employees at the time of retirement were being kept pending. He expressed anguish over reports of some retired employees dying without receiving their dues, alleging that the government was unable to return the money they had saved during their years of service.
The meeting expressed concern over the government’s alleged response to employees that they should not raise any demands for two years.
KCR called upon party legislators to raise the problems of serving and retired employees, including pending Pay Revision Commission (PRC) issues, during the Assembly session and question the government on their behalf.
The joint BRS Legislature Party meeting continued for nearly three hours, during which KCR held detailed discussions on the welfare of the people of the State and the State’s development and governance.
He called upon BRS MLAs and MLCs to question the government’s performance during the Assembly session.
BRS working president KT Rama Rao, Legislative Council Deputy Chairman Banda Prakash, BRS Council Floor Leader Madhusudhana Chary, Assembly Deputy Floor Leaders T Harish Rao and Sabitha Indra Reddy, Council Deputy Leaders L Ramana and Pochampally Srinivas Reddy, along with other BRS MLCs and MLAs, attended the meeting.