Harish Rao Demands Removal of AP Irrigation Review from GRMB Agenda

BRS Legislature Party deputy leader T. Harish Rao on Wednesday questioned the Telangana government’s delay in opposing Andhra Pradesh’s proposal to review permissions for seven irrigation projects in the state ahead of a Godavari River Management Board (GRMB) meeting scheduled for August 18 in Hyderabad.

Harish Rao was reacting to a letter sent by the Telangana government objecting to the inclusion of Andhra Pradesh's review request in the GRMB agenda. He questioned why the state government remained silent when Andhra Pradesh initially sought the review, despite prior warnings from the BRS. He alleged that the Congress government wrote to the board only after facing criticism from the opposition.

Demanding the immediate withdrawal of Andhra Pradesh's proposals from the agenda, the former minister urged the state to consider boycotting the August 18 GRMB meeting if the items are not removed. He announced that the BRS would mobilise thousands of people to lay siege to the GRMB office at Jala Soudha in Hyderabad if the meeting proceeds without dropping the review items.

The state government’s letter to the GRMB came shortly after Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy stated that Andhra Pradesh had been raising objections for the past 12 years and that there was nothing new in its stance. Harish Rao criticized this approach, emphasizing that the ruling Congress must set aside politics and adopt an uncompromised stand to protect the state’s water rights and future.

Harish Rao also questioned Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy’s silence toward Andhra Pradesh, accusing him of targeting the BRS instead of defending state interests. He stated that attempts by Revanth Reddy and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to threaten Telangana’s water rights would not be tolerated.