HYDERABAD

The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has faulted the Congress government for giving its acceptance to the agenda for the August 18 meeting of the Godavari River Management Board (GRMB) since it is against the river water rights and interests of Telangana.

Speaking to newspersons here on Saturday, BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao demanded that the government boycott the river board meeting for having an agenda only to protect the interests of Andhra Pradesh. He sought to know what the government would say at the meeting on behalf of Telangana people.

Mr. Rama Rao said the BRS would launch a major agitation on the scale of the Telangana movement if the State’s legitimate rights over river waters were compromised. He asserted that there was no priority greater than protecting Telangana’s water rights.

Asking Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and Minister for Irrigation N. Uttam Kumar Reddy to explain to people why they had accepted the agenda, and in case they attend the meeting - what they intended to present on behalf of the Telangana people. Mr. Rama Rao alleged that the agenda of the meeting was completely against Telangana’s interests and the government must explain how it proposed to safeguard the State’s legitimate water rights.

“If the government has any concern for Telangana, it should boycott the meeting,” he said and warned that if the Centre or any neighbouring State acted in a manner detrimental to Telangana’s share of river waters, the BRS would not remain a silent spectator. If injustice was done to Telangana’s water rights in the name of the Centre, a powerful agitation would emerge in the State, he said.

He further alleged that the Congress government was functioning under the influence of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and was compromising on Telangana’s interests in the matter of river waters. He criticised the government for its failure to protect Telangana’s irrigation interests while neighbouring States were drawing water from rivers/reservoirs.

Published - August 08, 2026 09:10 pm IST