Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has warned Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis that if the latter didn’t come for negotiations regarding the state government’s ambition to construct Tummidihatti barrage on the Godavari river, there there will be a large-scale Adivasi agitation that will erupt from Telangana.
While addressing a public meeting in Kagaznagar town of Kumram Bheem Asifabad district on Monday, June 1, Revanth Reddy announced that his government was willing to bear the entire cost of compensating the farmers on the Maharashtra side, for the submergence of around 2,000 acres of land for the construction of Tummidihatti barrage.
Revanth Reddy recalled how 7 mandals of Telangana in the undivided Khammam district of Telangana were merged with Andhra Pradesh for Polavaram Lift Irrigation Scheme and lakhs of Adivasis in Telangana were forcefully shifted to AP by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after the formation of Telangana in 2014- through an ordinance.
“An year has passed since we have been requesting Devendra Fadnavis to come to the negotiation table. I don’t know whether he doesn’t like me, or if he has a shady relationship with his friend KCR. Is the Telangana CM so cheap for you,” he asked, pointing his guns at the BJP, noting that Fadnavis has not responded even once to multiple letters written by him.
He also questioned why Union Minister for Coal and Mines G Kishan Reddy was not doing anything to facilitate the negotiations between the two states.
” I don’t care about Kishan Reddy or Devendra Fadnavis. The farmers of Telangana are important to me,” he asserted, noting that 2 lakh acre of land in the undivided Adilabad district will be irrigated if Tummidihatti barrage is constructed, which will also irrigate the lands in the undivided Nizamabad, Karimnagar and Medak districts as well.
Revanth Reddy also warned Kishan Reddy on the occasion, that if the Centre failed to procure 75 lakh tonne paddy, 20 lakh tonne maize, and other crops like Jowar and sunflower seeds from Telangana by June 15; the state government will dump the produce in front of the BJP office in Nampally, or Kishan Reddy’s house at Barkatpura Chaman.
“The Centre can’t just wash its hands by declaring the minimum support price (MSP). We have met the Union Minister for Food and Public Distribution Prahlad Joshi multiple times on the issue, but there has been no favourable assurance,” Revanth Reddy said.
He delclared that a war will be declared against the Centre if his “demand” was not addressed, adding that Kishan Reddy will also find it difficult to roam on the streets if he failed to intervene immediately.
Revanth Reddy also assured that the state government will procure 75 lakh tonne paddy in the present Rabi marketing season, and will procure any produce soaked due to the untimely rains.
The chief minister also announced that all the pending lift irrigation projects in the erstwhile Adilabad region will be completed soon, and that the MLAs irrespective of political parties, needed to work with the state government to ensure the completion of those projects.
