Dubey said in the House that the Union government had sanctioned ₹86,000 crore for the KLIP — the world's largest lift irrigation project.
Published Aug 10, 2023 | 10:23 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 10, 2023 | 10:35 PM
File photo of the Kaleshwaram project. (Supplied)
Incensed by BJP member Nishikant Dubey’s statement in the Lok Sabha, that the Union government had funded the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) in Telangana, the BRS on Thursday, 10 August, gave notice of a privilege motion against him for misleading the House.
The BRS’ floor leader in the Lok Sabha, Nama Nageswara Rao, gave notice against the BJP MP from Godda in Jharkhand to the Lok Sabha Speaker under Rule 222.
Dubey had said in the House that the Union government had sanctioned ₹86,000 crore for the KLIP — the world’s largest lift irrigation project.
Nageswara Rao said Dubey’s statement was factually incorrect and was intended to make members of the House believe that the Union government had funded the Kaleshwaram project when, in fact, it was entirely funded by the Telangana government.
BRS MP Dr G Ranjith Reddy called Dubey’s statement a clear case of perjury.
“As a responsible members of Lok Sabha from @BRSParty, we raised Privilege Motion against the MP @nishikant_dubey for insulting the dignity of the House with Misinformation [sic],” he said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
In a Clear Case of 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐉𝐔𝐑𝐘,
BJP MP Nishikant Dubey has will fully mislead the house with Factually wrong information, that Central Govt Sanctioned Rupees Eighty Six Thousand Crores for #Kaleshwaram Project.As a responsible members of Lok Sabha from @BRSParty, we raised… pic.twitter.com/h25PF9bQ6q
— Dr Ranjith Reddy (@DrRanjithReddy) August 10, 2023
Ever since Dubey made the statement in the Lok Sabha, the BRS has been up in arms against the Union government for “trying to steal the credit” for the construction of the massive lift irrigation project.
In a way, Dubey’s statement has given the BRS a handy weapon to take the BJP to task. Immediately after Dubey made the statement in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, BRS leader Sravan Dasoju lashed out at him and the BJP for purveying misinformation.
He tweeted: “Lies & utter lies of the BJP Govt on the floor of Parliament misleading the nation. Kaleshwaram, the world’s largest lift irrigation project, is the brainchild of honourable @TelanganaCMO, which was built with a loan amount taken from various financial institutions, while the government of India has not even granted a single rupee. [sic]”
He added: “However, it is shameful to see the BJP MP contradicting and misleading the nation that the Govt of India has granted an amount of Rs. 86,000 crore. To utter such a blatant lie in Parliament is a breach of trust and calls for a privilege motion against a BJP MP. Also, BJP MPs of Telangana must tender an apology to the people of Telangana for misleading the parliament. [sic]”
Lies & utter lies of the BJP Govt on the floor of Parliament misleading the nation.
Kaleshwaram, the world’s largest lift irrigation project, is the brainchild of honourable @TelanganaCMO, which was built with a loan amount taken from various financial institutions, while the… pic.twitter.com/eQN5RqJ0Ur
— Prof Dasoju Srravan (@sravandasoju) August 9, 2023
Dubey made the statement after raising a point order while BRS Lok Sabha leader Nageswara Rao was taking the Centre to task for not releasing any funds for any of the state government’s scheme and binning the recommendations of the Niti Aayog and those of the latest Finance Commission in respect of the need to release funds to Telangana.
Dubey, after raising the point of order, said that what Nageswara Rao was saying was far from the truth, and that the Union government had released ₹86,000 crore for the Kaleshwaram project. He also said that he was going on record.
He added that as the Union minister concerned was not immediately available, he was speaking on his behalf.
Dubey’s statement led to an uproar in the House, with the BRS members taking serious exception to the BJP’s attempt to steal credit from the Telangana government for the execution of the KLIP in the shortest possible time.
The Union government, on several occasions, declined the request of the Telangana government to accord national-project status to Kaleshwaram.
On 22 July, 2021, Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Shekawat said in the Lok Sabha in unambiguous terms that the state had mobilised the entire funding for the Kaleshwaram Project. Last year, on 31 July, the minister said that the project was constructed with funds raised by the state.
Though the Telangana government, in the initial days of the formation of the state, had urged the Union government to declare at least one project as a national project, it had declined. The state government then raised funds from several financial institutions and constructed the KLIP.
Telangana Finance Minister T Harish Rao, taking a serious exception to the BJP MP’s claim, described Dubey’s assertion as a shameless act. The Union government had not released even one rupee for Kaleshwaram, he said on Wednesday.
“It is strange that the BJP leaders say that no corruption took place in the execution of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project, and again the same people say that the project has become an ATM for the BRS government. A snake may have two tongues. But not the BJP leaders, who have 10 tongues,” he said.
