Kaleshwaram in Question: BRS Avoids Public Celebration

Hyderabad: The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has quietly dropped its plan to celebrate the sixth anniversary of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS) inauguration. The significant June 21 date, which marked six years since the ambitious project was launched in 2019, passed without any public event or statement from the party leadership.

The decision comes amid ongoing scrutiny by the Congress government and an active inquiry by Justice P.C. Ghose Commission over alleged irregularities in the construction and execution of the KLIS.

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Earlier this month, BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao (KTR) had stated that the KLIS anniversary should be “celebrated in a fitting manner” and that party president K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) would be consulted on how to highlight the project’s scale and achievements.

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However, sources indicate that KCR advised against holding any public celebration, fearing that it would invite political backlash from the ruling Congress and potentially the BJP, both of whom are critical of KLIS over alleged corruption and engineering failures.

BRS Avoids Giving Congress Political Ammunition

The move appears to be a strategic decision by the opposition BRS to avoid fueling attacks from the Congress government, especially in light of recent questioning of both KCR and former irrigation minister T. Harish Rao by the judicial inquiry commission.

BRS insiders say that celebrating the KLIS—currently under investigation—could have handed its political opponents a fresh opportunity to criticize the party for “celebrating failure.”

BRS to Focus on Congress’ Alleged Failures in Irrigation

Instead of a celebration, the BRS is now reportedly planning an internal strategy meeting to focus on irrigation issues. The meeting, for which a date is yet to be announced, will aim to highlight alleged failures of the Congress government, including:

• Inaction on Andhra Pradesh’s Godavari–Banakacharla link scheme
• Failure to prevent AP from overdrawing Krishna river water

The meeting is expected to be led by Harish Rao, who will spearhead the BRS’ renewed focus on irrigation-related politics and hold the ruling party accountable on water-sharing and infrastructure issues.

KLIS Under the Scanner, Political Stakes High

The Kaleshwaram project, once touted as one of the largest multi-stage lift irrigation systems in the world, has now become a political flashpoint in Telangana. With the Justice P.C. Ghose Commission digging deeper into project costs, design flaws, and procurement irregularities, the BRS is walking a tightrope between defending its flagship project and avoiding further controversy.