Water war: Telangana Rashtra Samithi, Congress to protest in | Sidnaz Blog

They have been asked to demand the rightful share of Telangana in the river waters. (File Photo)

HYDERABAD: Lawmakers of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and Congress have decided to vehemently protest against the BJP-led government over the Centre decision to take over management of Krishna and Godavari rivers and the irrigation projects on it during the Parliament sessions.
Chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has directed the TRS MPs to raise the issue during the monsoon session of Parliament which gets underway on Monday, whenever there is an opportunity.
They have been asked to demand the rightful share of Telangana in the river waters.
The TRS has nine MPs in the Lok Sabha, while the Congress has three. TRS has seven members in the Rajya Sabha. Asaduddin Owaisi, representing the AMIM is the lone lawmaker from Hyderabad.
While TRS members in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha will counter the Centre’s total control over management of two rivers, the opposition Congress and BJP MPs in the lower house will simultaneously highlight concerns of the state and the failure of KCR to stop Andhra Pradesh from taking up new irrigation projects to divert more water from Krishna river.
The TRS has nine MPs in the Lok Sabha, while the Congress has three and BJP four Parliamentarians respectively. “Union Jal Shakti Ministry has asked the two states, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, to deposit Rs 200 crore each, which means that while Centre will have full control of over the management of the two rivers flowing through Telangana and AP and it won’t be spending from its pocket but would be maintaining the irrigation projects in the two river basins with the money given by the states,” TRS MP from Chevella G Ranjit Reddy told TOI.
” At the cost of the state government, they want to monitor and maintain the projects. It is funny,” he said.
Telangana government has invested thousands of crores of rupees on new and ongoing irrigation projects. KCR was demanding that the Tribunal allocates the state its share of water. Telangana had also filed a case in the Supreme Court but the Centre asked the state government to withdraw the case. “All of a sudden two river management boards were announced. Neither Telangana nor AP can move forward with any project without the permission of the Centre. Will the centre give permission for irrigation projects in just six months. All these and other points would be raised in the Parliament,” said Ranjit Reddy.
Karimnagar MP and BJP state president Bandi Sanjay said they would ensure that not a single drop of allocated water to Telangana is taken away by any other state. “Firstly, we would highlight CM KCR’s failure to settle the river water dispute with AP CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. We welcome the Centre’s intervention but at the same time would ensure that Telangana does not lose out on its river water share,” he said.
Malkajgiri MP and Congress state president A Revanth Reddy said the situation would not have arrived this far had CM KCR completed the numerous irrigation projects started and 80 per cent completed by the previous Congress governments. “Now, it is the question of the rightful share of the people of Telangana in the river water. The Congress will not allow any injustice meted out to them in river water issue,” he said.