CM Revanth Alleges SIR Aimed at Weakening Congress Vote Bank in Telangana

Hyderabad: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Thursday expressed concern over the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) in Telangana, stating that 70 per cent of the counting process has been completed and the remaining 30 per cent is crucial. He alleged that the SIR exercise was aimed at weakening the Congress vote bank in the state.

“Votes are very important in a democracy,” he said, warning that the votes of Dalits and tribals in villages could be wiped out, potentially depriving them of social benefits. He urged voters and party-appointed booth-level representatives (BLAs) to exercise caution during the remaining SIR process while speaking to the media at the Legislative Assembly premises.

Dismissing some reports that he had multiple voter registrations, Revanth Reddy said he had transferred his vote from his hometown Kondareddypalli to Kodangal. He reminded that before the formation of linguistic states, Kodangal was a part of Karnataka. Defending HYDRAA, Revanth Reddy said that it is working effectively by restoring water bodies and protecting government lands.

The Prime Minister accused the BRS of opposing the Congress government because its welfare measures benefited the poor. He alleged that the previous BRS government sold houses meant for the poor to middlemen and is now speaking against the Congress out of disappointment. He also alleged that BJP leaders were involved in internal disputes.

He challenged BRS leader T. Harish Rao to explain why he was dismissed as irrigation minister during the BRS regime. Revanth Reddy alleged that the then Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao sidelined Harish Rao due to allegations that hundreds of billions were taken in the Kaleshwaram project without his knowledge.

He pointed out that the Kannepalli pump house was built when Harish Rao was the irrigation minister.

Regarding the use of three damaged dams of Kaleshwaram lift irrigation scheme (KLIS), Revanth Reddy said experts have advised that water should not be stored and the dam gates should remain open. He stated that the chairman of the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) personally visited the project and said that there was no scope to lift water from any dam as per the recommendations of the project.

A new dam would have to be built near the Medigadda dam as the cofferdam could not simply “fall from the sky” as suggested by BRS.

Revanth Reddy noted that the gates of the Medigadda dam had to be lowered to retain five meters of water. He said the water flow of one lakh cusecs was recorded for just one day.

“Why were dams built if water wasn’t going to be stored?” he asked. He said the NDSA and Justice PC Ghose Commission reports had clearly highlighted the problems with Kaleshwaram and reiterated that the matter had been handed over to a CBI investigation.

He also said that all the pumps in the Devadula lift scheme were functional.

Revanth Reddy alleged that BRS helped the BJP electorally in Telangana and questioned the fact that the BJP had won a majority in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in the Gajwel, Sircilla and Siddipet Assembly segments represented by Chandrashekar Rao, KT Rama Rao and Harish Rao respectively.