Officials predicted dry spell, much ahead of elections: Ponguleti

Hyderabad:While referring to the information provided by the officials under the previous BRS government, Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy challenged the narrative being spun by the BRS leaders.

Addressing a press conference at Rajiv Gandhi grounds at Tukkuguda, the venue of Congress party’s ‘Jana Jathara’ public meeting Ponguleti along with IT Minister D Sridhar Babu wondered as to how the BRS leaders including former CM K Chandrashekar Rao were making irrational statements, when it was during their tenure the State witnessed meagre rains.

“In the last monsoon the State recorded 56% less rain. Interestingly, even the newspapers known as the BRS’s mouthpiece have highlighted that there were less rains this year while your party was in power. The water levels have touched rock bottom in at least 16% of the reservoirs in the State. Moreover, the officials have forecasted about the situation in summer while emphasising the possible shortage of water for irrigation and drinking purposes,” the Minister explained.

Ponguleti also questioned the effectiveness of the much hyped ‘Mission Bhagiratha’. “The Mission Bhagiratha despite spending Rs 45,000 crores by the previous government has failed to provide waters to villages. The BRS has pushed the State into debt trap during the past 10 years. They have come to power by making false promises by harping the slogan of ‘nillu’, ‘nidhulu’, ‘niyamakalu’ slogan,” the Minister alleged.

Over the phone-tapping row, Ponguleti claimed that BRS tried to gain politically by tapping phones of top leaders. “Besides my phone my staff also was targeted. They did not even leave my driver, even his phone was tapped,” claimed the Revenue Minister.