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Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Saturday announced the launch of the Praja Balam (Peoples Strength) programme after the Sankranthi festival, under which he will visit every village and interact with people.
According to a release by the Chief Ministers Office (CMO), Revanth Reddy made the announcement while interacting with progressive farmers and agricultural scientists after launching the Rythu Mela and Industrial Expo in Kodangal. The Chief Minister appealed to people to support the government in tackling El Nino weather conditions and drought. He urged farmers to cultivate only dry crops during the ensuing Rabi season and said the government was committed to supporting all sections of society during the crisis. Following a slugfest between the ruling Congress and the opposition BRS over water issues, Revanth Reddy appealed to the Assembly Speaker to convene a special two-day Assembly session to discuss El Nino, the Kaleshwaram project and Godavari river waters. Targeting former Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) over the collapse of the Medigadda barrage, Revanth Reddy said, Let KCR bring his entire family along. We are ready to expose the KCR family with evidence in Assembly. The Chief Minister alleged that the previous BRS government had ignored the Centres offer to designate a project as a national project and had sidelined the Pranhita project in favour of Kaleshwaram. He accused the previous government of changing project names, locations and cost estimates. He also questioned KCRs alleged opposition to a CBI investigation into irregularities surrounding the Kaleshwaram project, claiming that the former Chief Minister had approached the Centre to delay the probe. Was it not KCR who went to Delhi, knelt before Modi, and requested that the CBI investigation be delayed? he questioned. Revanth Reddy also criticised BRS leader Harish Rao over his association with the Kaleshwaram project and questioned his response to references to the Medigadda barrage. He accused BRS leaders of making unviable demands regarding the release of water from the Kannepalli pump houses and alleged that KCR had changed project designs for commissions. Why is Harish Rao afraid now when the name 'Medigadda' is mentioned? The BRS leaders were making vague, unviable requests to release water from the Kannepalli pump houses; the Chief Minister charged that KCR changed the project designs only for commissions, he said. The Chief Minister questioned the construction of the Medigadda barrage while the opposition was demanding the lifting of water from Kannepalli pump houses. The CMO release also stated that the Sripada Yellampalli project fills up only when three pumps operate simultaneously. Revanth Reddy alleged that not a single irrigation project was completed in Palamuru district during the 10 years of BRS rule. He said projects including Kalwakurthy, Bhima, Nettempadu, Koilsagar, Makthal, Kodangal and Narayanpet had been ignored. Highlighting the Congress governments irrigation initiatives, he said water from Devadula, through the Sitarama project, was being supplied to farmers in Khammam district. Water was also being supplied through the Sammakka Sarakka barrage, Devadula and Sitarama projects, while the Devadula project at Tupakulagudem was providing water to hundreds of thousands of acres. Continuing tirade against KCR and senior BRS leader, the Chief Minister said that KCR did nothing for Kodangal during his ten years as Chief Minister. Was it not KCR who blocked the Krishna railway line and also prevented cement factories from being established? Since the Peoples government took office, work on the Makthal-Narayanpet lift irrigation scheme has been progressing rapidly and also increased compensation to the displaced farmers, he asked. Stating that the Kodangal people have given him a big opportunity to develop the assembly constituency, the CM said that just as development has taken place from Delhi to Noida and from Mumbai to Pune, he would develop the stretch from Hyderabad Airport to the Kalavacharla Industrial Park, transforming it into a model for the entire country. We are already developing Kodangal into an education hub. Steps are being taken to develop this region so that 'Tandur dal' (pulses) can be exported to countries across the globe. We will also develop the RARE Education Hub and RARE Industrial Parks and also launch further development projects worth 10,000 crore rupees. For the next ten years, let us work together to develop Kodangal, setting aside all political differences, he said. The Chief Minister also mocked the BRS leaders for changing their appearance and grooming beards to draw the public's attention. Just as a fox cannot become a tiger by trying to mimic its stripes, you cannot become a tiger by imitating one. Simply growing a beard does not make you Revanth Reddy. It took him 50 years to grow a beard. Who knows how many more years it will take for him to gain some wisdom? Until the leader changes the mindset, the people of Telangana will never trust, he added. The CM warned people not to get carried away by the BRS leaders and end up in a situation of relying on gruel for survival. (ANI)
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