Harish Rao: Revanth Reddy knows Bhuthulu, not Basins

Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader and former Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao, fresh from recovering from a recent health scare, held a fiery press conference at Telangana Bhavan on Thursday, slamming Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy for his “glaring lack of knowledge” about the contentious Godavari-Banakacharla link project proposed by Andhra Pradesh.

Lack of basic knowledge

Harish Rao also took aim at Revanth’s advisor, Aditya Nath Das, accusing him of lacking basic understanding of the project’s geographical and technical details.

The press meet came in response to Revanth Reddy’s all-party meeting on June 18, convened to oppose Andhra Pradesh’s plan to divert 200 TMC of Godavari water to the Krishna and Penna basins via the Banakacharla project. Rao accused Revanth of mishandling the issue and spreading misinformation to deflect blame onto the previous BRS government led by K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR).

“Revanth Reddy’s ignorance was on full display during the all-party meeting. He asked officials whether Banakacharla is in the Godavari or Krishna basin, exposing his lack of preparation,” Rao said, referencing a widely ridiculed moment from the meeting’s live telecast.

“And his so-called advisor, Aditya Nath Das, is no better. He claimed Banakacharla located is in Prakasam district. Such incompetence from the CM and his team is dangerous for Telangana’s water interests,” Rao added.

Bhuthulu telusu, Basinlu Telavavu

Rao, who was briefly hospitalized last week due to high blood pressure and fatigue, appeared reinvigorated as he presented a detailed PowerPoint on the Banakacharla project, which he warned could divert up to 400 TMC of Godavari water, threatening Telangana’s irrigation security. He accused Revanth of selectively quoting Apex Council minutes from 2016 to pin blame on KCR, while omitting KCR’s stance in Agenda Item No. 5, where he opposed river-linking without Telangana’s consent. He further said Revanth Reddy only knows Bhuthulu (abusive expletives), not water basins.