Senior Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader and former Irrigation Minister T. Harish Rao met with party president and former Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) at the latter’s Erravalli farmhouse on May 20, 2025, shortly after the Justice P.C. Ghose Commission issued notices to both leaders and BJP MP Eatala Rajender over alleged irregularities in the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP).
The hour-long meeting, held in the wake of the high-profile summons, signaled a unified front within the BRS as it navigates the escalating investigation into the ambitious irrigation project.
The Justice P.C. Ghose Commission, established in March 2024 to probe lapses in the planning, design, construction, and maintenance of the Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla barrages, summoned KCR to appear on June 5, Harish Rao on June 6, and Rajender on June 9, with a 15-day window to confirm their willingness to participate in cross-examination.
The notices follow the Commission’s examination of over 100 engineers and officials, many of whom reportedly pointed to decisions made under the direct oversight of KCR, who held the irrigation portfolio from 2018 to 2023, and Harish Rao, who served as Irrigation Minister from 2014 to 2018. The probe was triggered by structural issues, notably the collapse of piers at the Medigadda barrage in October 2023, alongside reported leakages and foundation instability at the other barrages.
BRS prepares response
Sources close to the BRS indicate that the meeting focused on strategizing a response to the Commission’s inquiry. Harish Rao, known for his key role in the project’s execution, and KCR, the architect of the KLIP vision, discussed the legal and political implications of the notices.
The Kaleshwaram project, designed to irrigate 45 lakh acres and supply water to 13 Telangana districts, has been a cornerstone of the BRS’s legacy, with an estimated cost exceeding ₹1 lakh crore. However, allegations of cost escalations and procedural lapses have fueled criticism from the ruling Congress government, which extended the Commission’s term until July 31, 2025, to complete its investigation.
BRS leaders have decried the notices as politically motivated. KCR’s daughter, BRS MLC K. Kavitha, took to X, calling the probe ‘a calculated political conspiracy to tarnish the image of a true people’s leader,’ emphasizing KCR’srole in ‘transforming barren lands into fields of prosperity.’
Harish Rao, in recent public statements, has accused the Congress government, led by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, of attempting to erase KCR’s legacy by undermining the project’s achievements. ‘Kaleshwaram was built for Telangana’s farmers and future generations, not for politics,’ he stated.
The Commission’s decision to summon the trio comes after earlier indications that their questioning might not be necessary, given the extensive evidence collected from officials and documents, including reports from the National Dam Safety Authority and the Vigilance & Enforcement Wing. However, testimonies pointing to direct involvement by KCR and Harish Rao in key decisions, such as relocating the project site from Tummidihatti to Medigadda, reportedly prompted the panel to seek their clarifications.
The BRS is now weighing its options, with speculation that KCR and Harish Rao may seek legal recourse to challenge the summons, as they did in December 2024 when the Telangana High Court suspended similar notices issued by a lower court in a related case. The BRS has maintained that such probes are attempts to discredit a project that secured water rights for Telangana’s farmers, a claim Harish Rao reiterated when praising KCR’s vision for the Sita Rama Lift Irrigation Project earlier this year.
The BRS also accused the ruling Congress party of timing the notices to disrupt its planned NRI celebrations in the United States on June 1.