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**Headline: BRS Leader Rao Slams Telangana CM Reddy Over Godavari-Banakacharla Project Comments**

**Hyderabad, June 19, 2025** – Former Irrigation Minister and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader T. Harish Rao has launched a scathing attack on Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, accusing him of jeopardizing the state’s water rights in a dispute with Andhra Pradesh.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Mr. Rao criticized Mr. Reddy’s recent remarks made during an all-party MPs meeting regarding the Godavari-Banakacharla project. Rao alleged that Reddy was indirectly supporting a proposed project from the Andhra Pradesh government without fully understanding its implications for Telangana.

“The Chief Minister’s comments suggest he has agreed to a project that could be detrimental to Telangana’s interests,” Mr. Rao stated. He questioned Mr. Reddy’s understanding of the technical details, including the location of Banakacharla within the Godavari basin.

The BRS leader took particular issue with Mr. Reddy’s assertion that Telangana would not interfere with Andhra Pradesh projects, including Banakacharla, if guaranteed 1,500 TMC ft of water (1,000 TMC ft from Godavari and 500 TMC ft from Krishna). Mr. Rao characterized this as an attempt to “surrender Telangana’s water rights” and warned that the people of the state would not tolerate such a betrayal.

Further escalating his criticism, Mr. Rao accused Mr. Reddy of relying on flawed advice from Adityanath Das, advisor to the Irrigation Department, accusing Mr. Das of assisting the Andhra Pradesh Government. Rao also highlighted projects built during the KCR government such as the Sammakka Sagar and Seethamma Sagar projects on the Godavari and Krishna rivers.

Demanding accountability, Mr. Rao called for an apology from the Chief Minister and the resignation of Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy, citing negligence in the recent collapse of the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) project. He also questioned the lack of action from the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) and the BJP regarding the SLBC project.

The BRS’s sharp criticism signals a potentially significant escalation in the ongoing dispute between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh over water resources, raising concerns about the future of inter-state cooperation on crucial irrigation projects.

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