Kaleshwaram Project Scandal
On Tuesday, Senior Congress leader and former Rajya Sabha MP V Hanumantha Rao penned a letter to the Election Commission of India (ECI) requesting the disqualification of the K Chandrashekar Rao-led Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) from participating in any elections in Telangana until 2036.
Hanumantha Rao urged the ECI to prohibit BRS from contesting elections until the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KILS) debts were fully repaid, or at least prohibit BRS from contesting until 2035-36.
Rao cited a report from the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) that uncovered suspected corruption by the former BRS government of Telangana in the KILS project.
The report, disclosed in the Telangana Assembly recently, prompted extensive backlash against the BRS, with the ruling Congress labeling it as one of the most corrupt administrations in the history of modern India.
“I firmly believe that the Election Commission should possess the authority to revoke the registration of a political party engaged in corrupt practices. This measure would serve as a warning to other parties, deterring them from misusing public funds in the future.
I urge you to prevent BRS from participating in any elections until their debts have been repaid, or at least until the year 2035-36,” stated the correspondence from Hanumantha Rao.
Furthermore, the letter highlighted that the BRS government had borrowed a total of Rs 1,41,544 crores through various institutions, with an outstanding repayment debt amounting to Rs 2,52,048 crores, as per the CAG report.”
The Congress leader mentioned that the previous BRS government’s decision had significantly increased the financial strain on the Telangana exchequer.
Recently, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy criticized his predecessor, suggesting that the BRS should have participated in the government-organized visit to the Medigadda barrage if they truly cared about the welfare of farmers.
The Medigadda barrage is an integral component of the extensive Kaleshwaram project.
Revanth Reddy criticized K Chandrashekar Rao for his inability to address the public following the failure of the Rs 94,000 crore investment in Kaleshwaram project, noting that the damaged barrage is now incapable of being filled with water.
