Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has taken a sharp dig at the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), accusing the party of leveraging the Banakacherla water dispute to stay politically relevant. Revanth alleged that BRS is resorting to “petty and superstitious tactics” instead of addressing real issues concerning Telangana’s water rights.
Speaking to the media, Revanth made a sensational claim that BRS leaders were conducting black magic rituals at a farmhouse in an attempt to symbolically portray Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu as a negative force. “Instead of focusing on facts and governance, BRS is indulging in superstition. This only exposes their desperation and political irrelevance,” he remarked.
Calling BRS a “dead snake,” Revanth said the party no longer commands any credibility and doesn’t deserve political attention. He squarely blamed former CM KCR and his then irrigation minister Harish Rao for the roots of the Banakacherla issue. Referring to the Bachawat Tribunal allocations, Revanth explained that Telangana was entitled to 66% of the 811 TMC Krishna river water allotted to the undivided Andhra Pradesh. However, KCR allegedly agreed to only 299 TMC, effectively surrendering 512 TMC to Andhra Pradesh.
Revanth further revealed that in 2016, KCR and then AP CM Chandrababu Naidu held discussions about diverting 400 TMC of Godavari water to Rayalaseema. He added that after Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy became the Chief Minister, further negotiations were held to divert water to the Penna basin — a move he said planted the seeds of the Banakacherla conflict. According to Revanth, both KCR and Jagan are directly responsible for the current water crisis Telangana is facing.
Clearing the air on the Centre’s position, Revanth clarified that the Union Government has not officially halted the Banakacherla project. “They haven’t placed a full stop, only a comma. We will fight this injustice with full force,” he asserted.
The Chief Minister also didn’t hold back in targeting Union Minister Kishan Reddy, alleging that he is indirectly supporting the BRS. “Every word from Kishan Reddy sounds like it’s coming straight out of the BRS office,” Revanth said. He went on to claim that while Congress leaders were in Delhi raising objections to the Banakacherla project, Kishan Reddy was secretly meeting Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat to hold talks on the issue.
Revanth concluded by highlighting that senior Congress leader Uttam Kumar Reddy had already given a comprehensive presentation on the Banakacherla dispute at Praja Bhavan, showing the Congress government’s proactive and committed approach to defending Telangana’s rightful share of water.