Sources say the Congress is focusing on the Medigadda incident as the Kaleshwaram project is identified with CM K Chandrashekar Rao in Telangana.
Published Nov 01, 2023 | 10:22 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 01, 2023 | 10:24 PM
A "Kaleshwarama ATM displayed at a Congress rally featuring Rahul Gandhi in Telangana on Wednesday, 1 November, 2023. (RahulGandhi/X)
Congress national leader Rahul Gandhi is expected to visit the Medigadda (Lakshmi) barrage of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project on Thursday, 2 November, to make an on-the-spot inspection of the damage to its pillars and the way the barrage bridge somewhat caved in recently.
The Congress leader has already attacked the BRS government on the Kaleshwaram project several times till now.
He decided to visit the Medigadda barrage after the news broke that water was “seeping” at the Annaram (Saraswati) barrage, which is also part of the Kaleshwarama project.
Though Telangana Irrigation Department engineers dismissed the two incidents as issues of no consequence, neither the BJP nor the Congress lost the chance to target the BRS over them.
If the BJP had an inquiry ordered into the damage done to the piers of the Medigadda barrage by the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti, Rahul Gandhi now wants to make a personal visit to the barrage to study the extent of damage caused to the pillars.
Congress sources said the police initially denied permission for Rahul Gandhi’s chopper to land at the Medigadda project area, but Bhupalpally Collector and District Election officer Bhavesh Mishra eventually granted permission for the helicopter to land near the Lakshmi barrage in Medigadda.
The helicopter would be permitted to land at 8 am and take off at 11 am. The Congress will have to pay for the preparation of the helipad to the state’s Roads and Buildings Department. It will also have to pay the Fire Department to arrange for the fire safety of the visitors.
After the Medigadda fiasco, the Congress has consistently been attacking the BRS for the poor quality of its construction.
The party, according to sources, is focusing on the Medigadda incident as the Kaleshwaram project is identified with Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao in Telangana.
More often than not, KCR refers to the project as his brainchild and talks of how it turned Telangana into a land of milk and honey.
He has said he conceived and designed the project like an engineer to irrigate the parched lands of North Telangana, which were dependent on the monsoons or underground water under the rulers of the undivided state of Andhra Pradesh.
Rahul Gandhi and TPCC president A Revanth Reddy, apparently to hit KCR where it hurts most, have been going overboard in attacking the BRS for the poor quality of construction of the project.
They said this was on account of the monumental corruption that took place in its execution.
As optics play out well with voters, the Congress has designed a “Kaleshwaram ATM”, displaying it as a symbol of a ₹1-lakh-crore scam. That was the sum spent on the construction of the Kaleshwaram project.
The dummy ATM was displayed at Shadnagar during Rahul Gandhi’s public meeting on Wednesday to discredit the BRS government. The dummy ATM has been used extensively in the Congress’ campaign in Hyderabad.
Shri. Rahul Gandhi displays the Kaleshwaram ATM on the stage.
Kaleshwaram project is the epitome KCR's corruption. pic.twitter.com/TybAemhXcc
— Telangana Congress (@INCTelangana) November 1, 2023
