Congress, BRS Clash in Telangana Assembly Over Kaleshwaram Report
Heated debate exposes alleged irregularities in irrigation project.
The Telangana Legislative Assembly’s Monsoon Session on August 31, 2025, turned into a battleground as the ruling Congress and opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) clashed fiercely over the Justice P.C. Ghose Commission report on the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project. The report, tabled by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, accuses the previous BRS government of significant irregularities in the project’s planning, design, and construction, igniting a heated debate that dominated the session’s second day.
Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy presented the 665-page report, which alleges that former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) and then Irrigation Minister T. Harish Rao were directly responsible for lapses in the project, including bypassing expert warnings and Cabinet approvals. Reddy highlighted structural failures, such as the sinking piers at the Medigadda barrage in 2023, and accused the BRS of mismanaging the ₹1.5 lakh crore project, which was meant to irrigate arid regions but instead became a symbol of financial and technical mismanagement. The report claims the BRS ignored a 2015 expert committee’s advice against building at Medigadda, leading to costly damages and a public debt of ₹84,000 crore.
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy launched a scathing attack on Harish Rao, accusing him of misleading the public with incomplete information and citing specific pages from the report to expose “wrong policies” and negligence. Reddy pointed out that the BRS shifted the project site from Thummidi Hatti to Medigadda, despite warnings, and challenged Harish Rao to clarify whether he preferred a CBI, CBCID, or judicial inquiry into the allegations. He referenced a letter from 2015 by Uma Bharti, which approved the project at Thummidi Hatti, and accused the BRS of deliberately ignoring it to “loot the state treasury.” Reddy also noted Harish Rao’s alleged admission of helplessness, quoting him as saying his “uncle and cousin” were responsible for key decisions.
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The BRS fiercely rejected the report as “politically motivated,” arguing it violated natural justice by not giving them a fair chance to respond. Harish Rao and KCR approached the Telangana High Court to block the report’s tabling, with a hearing scheduled for September 1, 2025. BRS lawmakers protested in the Assembly, objecting to receiving only digital copies of the report and being denied a chance to present their defense. They accused the Congress of using the report to tarnish their reputation and claimed the project followed proper procedures with Union government clearances. The Speaker, however, dismissed their request for a presentation, citing a precedent set by KCR in 2015 when he denied Congress a similar opportunity.
Beyond the Kaleshwaram controversy, the Assembly addressed other critical issues. The government introduced bills to amend the Telangana Panchayat Raj Act and Telangana Municipal Act, increasing reservations for Backward Classes to 42%, fulfilling a pre-election promise amid pressure from the High Court to hold local body elections. The session also saw condolence motions for former MLAs and the tabling of various ordinances and reports, including amendments to private university regulations and annual reports of state corporations. As the debate over Kaleshwaram continues, the report’s findings and the ongoing legal battle signal a pivotal moment for Telangana’s political and developmental landscape, with potential investigations looming.
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