Congress dismisses KCR’s allegations on Palamuru-Ranga Reddy project, urges him to debate during Assembly sessions

The ruling Congress party has outrightly rejected the allegations made by Bharat Rashra Samithi (BRS) president and former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao (KCR) regarding the Palamuru-Ranga Reddy Lift Irrigation Project (PRLIP), stating that KCR is lowering himself with his claims just to save his party, which is losing ground with each election.

Responding to KCR’s claims at a press conference held at Gandhi Bhavan in Hyderabad on Monday (December 22, 2025), Ministers Jupally Krishna Rao, Ponnam Prabhakar, and Vakiti Srihari said that he tried to regain popularity with false statements about the project to cover up his wrongdoings during BRS regime. They urged him to debate these issues during Assembly session.

Mr. Krishna Rao said, “KCR dedicated the project to the nation ahead of elections by merely switching on a motor. However, there was no sanction for the canals, and the NGT imposed a penalty of ₹400 crore besides booking a criminal case against the Chief Engineer of the project as there was no environmental clearance.” He added that the KCR government had also submitted an affidavit in the Supreme Court stating that they would use the Palamuru-Ranga Reddy project water for drinking purposes only.

The Minister further refuted KCR’s claims about the return of the Detailed Project Report (DPR), stating that it was indeed returned in April 2023.

Accusing the BRS of supporting the BJP-led Central government, Mr. Krishna Rao said that KCR lacked concern for the Palamuru region. He added that nearly seven lakh acres received irrigation due to the efforts of the previous Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy government. “The KCR government spent a mere ₹3,000 to ₹4,000 crore on these pending projects,” he said, questioning why the BRS had not completed the Palamuru-Ranga Reddy project despite borrowing ₹8.50 lakh crore during its tenure.

Meanwhile, Minister Ponnam Prabhakar strongly objected to the language used by KCR during his press meet and suggested that he attend the Assembly session to substantiate his claims.