Hyderabad: Stating that there was no priority greater than protecting Telangana’s water rights, BRS working president KT Rama Rao has warned that the BRS would launch a major agitation on the scale of the Telangana movement if the state’s legitimate rights over river waters are compromised.During an informal chat with the reporters on Saturday, KTR questioned the Telangana govt’s decision to accept the agenda of the upcoming Godavari River Management Board (GRMB) meeting. He demanded that CM Revanth Reddy and irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy explain whether they had accepted the agenda, whether they would attend the meeting and, if so, what they intended to present on behalf of the people of Telangana.“The meeting was completely against Telangana’s interests and the state govt 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.He 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, even bigger than the Telangana movement, would emerge in the state, he cautioned.KTR alleged that the Congress govt was functioning under the influence of AP CM N Chandrababu Naidu and was compromising Telangana’s interests in the matter of river waters.He further criticized the govt for allegedly failing to protect Telangana’s irrigation interests while neighbouring states were drawing water from rivers. Despite being associated with Mahabubnagar and Palamuru, CM Revanth Reddy had failed to ensure adequate water for the region’s farmers, KTR alleged. He said the government was responding only after pressure from the opposition and farmers.ends/
