KCR to Skip Assembly, Lead Public Campaign on Irrigation, Farm Issues

Hyderabad, October 15: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) president and former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao is preparing to take his party's campaign against the Congress-led state government beyond the legislature. According to party sources, Rao will initiate a large-scale public mobilisation after the Assembly session, focusing on alleged neglect of irrigation projects and farmers' issues.

Addressing a meeting of the BRS Legislature Party at his Erravelli farmhouse in Gajwel, Siddipet district, Rao described the Congress government's nearly 1,000-day tenure as a 'disaster' and an 'utter flop'. He directed party legislators to aggressively raise irrigation and other public issues during the Assembly session, which begins Monday.

The former chief minister accused the government of deliberately withholding water for irrigation and neglecting the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project for political reasons. He asked legislators to raise the matter of the state's share of Krishna and Godavari river waters and participate actively in debates to question the government's policies and highlight its alleged failures.

Sources also indicated that Rao discussed the proposed delimitation of Assembly constituencies, asking party leaders to prepare for potential changes.

Speaking to media after the meeting, BRS Deputy Floor Leader in the Assembly T. Harish Rao said the party would take up issues concerning farmers, students, employees and other sections, while intensifying its campaign outside the legislature.

"KCR will personally lead a major public movement with lakhs of people against the government's neglect of these projects after the Assembly session," Harish Rao said. He pointed to historical examples: "Leaders like NTR, Jayalalithaa and Chandrababu Naidu faced disrespect in the Assembly, took their fight to the people and returned to power."

The BRS agenda includes a range of grievances: agricultural lands being placed on the 22A prohibited list, power cuts affecting farmers, alleged failure of the farm loan waiver scheme, polytechnic colleges under GO 97, problems in the Singareni Collieries Company, implementation of the Pay Revision Commission, payment of dearness allowance, the Employees Health Scheme, and pending fee reimbursements.

Observers see the move as a strategic shift by the BRS, which has been out of power since December 2023. The party has intensified attacks on the Congress government over multiple issues, but constitutional experts note that public agitations are a legitimate means of political expression within democratic norms.

The Congress government, meanwhile, has defended its record, maintaining that it has increased budget allocation for irrigation and farmer welfare. Officials have dismissed allegations of politicisation of water distribution, insisting that project execution is guided by technical and legal considerations.

With the Assembly session set to begin, political watchers expect heated debates on irrigation and public welfare. Rao's decision to skip the session and lead an extra-parliamentary campaign signals a departure from conventional legislative politics, though his party maintains that his move underscores the urgency of the issues.

This development comes amid a wider political landscape in Telangana where regional parties have frequently used mass movements to shape public discourse. The effectiveness of such campaigns will likely depend on the government's ability to address the concerns raised by the opposition.