Revanth lashes out at KCR for failing to complete Kalikota Sooramma project

State Congress president A. Revanth Reddy visited Kalikota Sooramma project on Sunday and interacted with the farmers who complained that the project is a non-starter despite the BRS government promising to complete it.

Mr. Reddy, who as a part of his ‘Yatra for Change’, visited the project along with former MP Ponnam Prabhakar and senior leader Adi Srinivas, said that Kalikota Sooramma, Sripada Yellampallu phase-I and phase-II were sanctioned in 2005 by the late Chief Minister, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy in 2005, who also sanctioned ₹1,750 crore. In fact, the efforts of Mr. Adi Srinivas for the project were appreciated by even the opposition leaders at that time, he said.

The Kalikota Sooramma project’s works stopped as soon as the BRS government took over in 2014, and later in 2018 the then Irrigation Minister T. Harish Rao laid the foundation again sensing people’s anger. After the elections, it was conveniently forgotten and not even land acquisition was completed since then, he said.

The Congress is fighting for the project and highlighted the issue through padayatras and rasta rokos but the BRS government is unmoved. Sensing pressure from the opposition, now the government is saying that water would be provided through a flood canal. The area, which is in the upper lands, can never get water through flood canals and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao is misleading people, he claimed.

He said once the Congress government is formed, the project would be taken up with utmost priority, appealing to the farmers to teach a lesson to the BRS party that is only interested in politics. The party, which alleged discrimination in the combined Andhra Pradesh, is adopting a similar attitude, he said drawing a comparison between former CM Kiran Kumar Reddy and the present Chief Minister.

Mr. Reddy also lashed out at Vemuvalwada MLA Chennamaneni Ramesh saying he doesn’t have any understanding of the people’s issues. “He is a tourist MLA coming from Germany to spend some time in Telangana and go back,” he said while alleging that the MLA, whose citizenship was also questioned in the courts, is taking umbrage under some technicalities to claim himself as an Indian citizen.

Earlier, the TPCC chief visited the famed Raja Rajeshwari temple in Vemulawada and offered prayers. He was welcomed with temple honours by the authorities. Later, Mr. Reddy alleged that the Chief Minister failed to honour the promises made to develop the temple.