Political Storm Over Kaleshwaram: BRS Fires Back at Union Minister

A fresh political controversy has erupted over the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project, with the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) launching a strong attack on Union Jal Shakti Minister C. R. Patil for his recent remarks.

BRS leader Ravula Sridhar Reddy on Friday dismissed the minister’s criticism, stating that attempts to malign Telangana would not alter the ground realities.

The row began after BRS Rajya Sabha MP K. R. Suresh Reddy urged the Centre to grant national status to the Kaleshwaram project. Responding in Parliament, C. R. Patil alleged serious flaws in the project’s design and execution, claiming that nearly ₹1 lakh crore had been wasted due to poor planning. He pointed to issues with the Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla barrages, accusing the project of draining public money.

Refuting these allegations, Ravula Sridhar Reddy said that during the tenure of former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao , Telangana set benchmarks in irrigation and power sectors. He described Kaleshwaram as the world’s largest lift irrigation scheme and asserted that it would secure the state’s water needs for the next 100 years . Terming the allegations baseless, he said it was unfair to discredit a project of such scale.

He further accused certain Andhra-based leaders of deliberately spreading negative narratives about Telangana for vested interests. He also noted that the Centre had previously approved and appreciated the project.

According to BRS leaders, the project has significantly expanded the state’s irrigated land from 1.31 crore acres to 2.2 crore acres . The issue has once again triggered intense political debate in Telangana.