TRS leaders launched a scathing attack on Congress leaders including TPCC working president Ponnam Prabhakar, stating that the latter were in despair and were unable to recover from their poll debacles. The TRS wondered if the Congress leaders were competent, asking why the then Congress government in undivided Andhra Pradesh failed to complete Tummidihatti despite having their governments at the Centre as well as in Maharashtra. Speaking to media persons at Telangana Bhavan on Wednesday, MLA Balka Suman said the Congress leaders were making baseless allegations on Tummidihatti to cover up their failures of the past. He said Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao redesigned the project to construct Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS) as per the Central Water Commission’s observation that about 1,650 tmc water was available at Medigadda.
“Despite being from a different political party, the Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao convinced his Maharashtra counterpart Devandra Fadnavis of BJP for construction of Kaleshwaram project. But Congress leaders like Ponnam Prabhakar could not convince leaders of their own party at the Centre, Maharashtra and the then undivided Andhra Pradesh governments to complete Tummidihatti which shows their commitment to people of Telangana,” he said.
Suman condemned the allegations levelled by the Congress leaders against TRS working president KT Rama Rao and stated that the latter was a global leader but not a gully leader like Prabhakar. “Hyderabad is home for several multinational companies for which several industrialists gave credit to KT Rama Rao. Ponnam Prabhakar lacks the stature to criticise him,” he added. He also condemned the Congress leaders’ allegations against Telangana State Planning Board vice-chairman B Vinod Kumar and said people were aware of his contributions to the State development as a Member of Parliament.
Former MP S Venugopala Chary said Congress leaders were only trying to mislead people on Tummidihatti project which was taken up without proper permissions from the authorities concerned. He alleged that the then Congress government took up the project construction to fill the pockets of contractors through mobilisation advances. He also warned the Congress leaders against making baseless allegations against KT Rama Rao who was instrumental in industrial development of the State. He said the government will provide irrigation water to two lakh acres in erstwhile Adilabad district by constructing a barrage at Tummidihatti.