The Kaleshwaram Project, once BRS’s flagship irrigation scheme, aimed to lift Godavari waters to irrigate 18 lakh acres, but controversy erupted after Medigadda piers sank before the 2023 elections
Published Jun 18, 2025 | 8:52 PM ⚊ Updated Jun 18, 2025 | 8:52 PM
KCR to take on Revanth Reddy government on the neglect of irrigation projects (Supplied)
Synopsis: Ahead of local body polls, the BRS is preparing to launch a major political offensive against the Congress government in Telangana over alleged neglect of key irrigation projects. Positioning itself as the farmers’ champion, the party, led by KCR, plans a strategy meeting to target delays in the Palamuru-Rangareddy and Kaleshwaram lift irrigation schemes amid rising agrarian distress
Ahead of the local body elections which might be held soon, the principal Opposition party in Telangana, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) is preparing for a fresh political battle in Telangana over what it calls the Congress government’s “deliberate and criminal neglect” of major irrigation projects across the state.
The BRS is positioning itself as a champion of the farmers and the confrontation with the Congress government is poised to intensify both inside and outside the Assembly.
With Telangana’s agrarian distress deepening due to inconsistent water supply and delayed monsoons, the political war over irrigation is expected to become one of the key battlegrounds in the coming months as local body elections are on the anvil.
The BRS, led by its president and former Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, is contemplating to organise a high-level strategy meeting in the coming days to deliberate on the issue and chart its next course of action.
According to party sources, the meeting, expected to be chaired by KCR, will be attended by top BRS leaders and will focus on the state government’s alleged apathy in both the construction and maintenance of irrigation projects.
The sources indicate that discussions will specifically target the slowing down of the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme and the issues surrounding the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project.
According to BRS sources, the Palamuru-Rangareddy project, which was nearly 90 percent complete during its tenure, has been effectively sidelined by the Congress government after it assumed office in 2023. The party alleges that the current administration is intentionally dragging its feet under the pretext of structural issues, such as the sinking of two piers, to sabotage and defame the landmark Kaleshwaram project.
KCR is expected to explain to party leaders at the upcoming meeting about what he views as a “conspiracy” by the Congress government to malign irrigation initiatives that were championed by the previous BRS regime. Under the guise of technical lapses, the Congress is halting water supply to lakhs of acres that depend on Kaleshwaram and Palamuru projects, the party sources said.
The BRS leadership maintains that Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s silence on key irrigation issues is both “conspicuous and telling.” They allege that the Congress administration is functioning with “political malice” and is punishing farmers by stalling lifeline projects, thereby betraying the very annadatas (food providers) of Telangana.
The party further accuses the Congress government of causing irreversible damage to the state’s agrarian economy by delaying the completion of irrigation infrastructure. BRS believes that farmers across Telangana are being made to suffer due to the “lethargic and vindictive” approach adopted by the current dispensation.
This sharp political offensive by BRS is likely to escalate in the coming weeks. The party is preparing to launch a movement that could include mass mobilisations, farmer outreach campaigns, and protests to highlight what it calls a “systematic betrayal of Telangana’s irrigation promise.” A roadmap for these actions is likely to be finalised during the upcoming high-level session.
The Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project, launched during the BRS regime, is one of the largest and most ambitious multipurpose irrigation schemes in India. Designed to lift water from the Godavari River, the project was conceived to irrigate over 18 lakh acres and support drinking water and industrial needs. However, it has been mired in controversy, especially after Medigadda piers sank ahead of the Assembly elections in 2023.
The Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme is another marquee project initiated by the BRS government to address the drought-prone areas of southern Telangana. Though most of the groundwork had been laid before the 2023 Assembly elections, the new government reportedly de-prioritised the project soon after coming to power.
The BRS projects the two projects as Telangana’s engineering and developmental marvels under KCR’s leadership. It now accuse the Congress of undermining these legacies for political vendetta.
(Edited by Ananya Rao)
