Harish Rao plays front-foot defence in Assembly on Krishna water, faces googleys, bouncers with alacrity
Spearheading the attack on the treasury benches singlehandedly, T Harish Rao played an all-rounder role at the Telangana Legislative Assembly on Monday during a debate on irrigation projects.
HYDERABAD: Spearheading the attack on the treasury benches singlehandedly, former Minister T Harish Rao played an all-rounder role at the Telangana Legislative Assembly on Monday during a debate on irrigation projects particularly on the share of Krishna River water between the sibling States.
While tearing down allegation after allegation by the ruling Congress Government on the earlier BRS Government led by K Chandrashekar Rao, his Man Friday ensured that the people of the State understood the chronology of the events that led to the decision to handover projects to KRMB by Revanth Reddy’s Government.
Also Read: BRS ‘Chalo Nalgonda’ forced Govt move resolution for conditional handover to KRMB: Harish Rao
Equipped with data and 27 letters that the erstwhile BRS Government wrote to the KRMB and the Union Jal Shakti Ministry on the share of water and common projects, Harish fought with a battalion of Congress leaders to prove that the Congress Government accepted without the adjudication of the final award of the rightful share of Telangana.
Harish got the ‘slap KCR with a chappal’ comment by Komatireddy Venkat Reddy expunged by insisting on removing such derogatory words from the records. He was adamant at times about bulldozing a volley of abuses hurled at the BRS Chief and former Chief Minister KCR by the treasury benches.
Harish reacted sharply when Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy used similar derogatory language asking KCR to rub his nose on the floor before entering Nalgonda on Tuesday for the Chalo Nalgonda public meeting on Krishna basin.
Driving home the point straight into the treasury benches, he said that it was the BRS Government that protected the interests of the farmers that depended on Krishna River water by not signing the water sharing agreement or the agreement on handing over projects to KRMB. He reminded them about the press release by the Government accepting to hand over projects to KRMB and his press conference that waking up the Government from its deep slumber.
Just like Harish Rao advised Chief Minister Revanth Reddy to reduce sarcasm in his speeches, learn to deal with situations effectively, and act in a manner that befits his stature as the Chief Minister during the thanksgiving motion to the Governor’s address, he once again demonstrated maturity while dealing with the Chief Minister.
When Revanth Reddy called KCR a ‘Papala Bhairavudu’ for not protecting the interests of the people of Telangana, Harish Rao explained how the first Chief Minister of Telangana secured the nod by the Narendra Modi Government for a relook at the 299:512 TMC ad-hoc share of water between the states by changing the agenda of the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II, defeating the plot of the AP Government to turn the ad-hoc arrangement into a final award.
At times, he was savage by recalling the present Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s not-so-palatable comments on Sonia Gandhi. “Everyone in the State knows who called Sonia Gandhi as a demon (Bali Devata) and every one knows who did not care for his own life for the people of Telangana,” Harish Rao said.
BRS leaders and cadres were all praises for Harish Rao’s front-door batting a trenchant attack on the treasury benches. KTR particularly hailed Harish in a tweet.
"It was a fantastic performance in assembly today by Harish single-handedly taking on the clueless CM and his entire cabinet. He cleared the air on all the fake propaganda & lies of Congress leaders with respect to Krishna waters/KRMB . Set the perfect tone for Chalo Nalgonda tomorrow where KCR will nail the Lies & misinformation campaign of Congress in his inimitable style."