Hyderabad: Senior BJP leader Gudur Narayana Reddy on Saturday launched a sharp attack on Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy over his frequent visits to New Delhi. He alleged that the Chief Minister appeared more interested in generating political headlines in the national capital than in tackling the worsening Telangana drought.
Narayana Reddy said Revanth Reddy had made around 79 visits to New Delhi since taking office in December 2023. That averages roughly one trip every 12 to 13 days, he said. The visits have included meetings with Union Ministers, Congress organisational programmes and political engagements.
“Apparently, the Chief Minister knows the Delhi timetable better than Telangana’s drought map,” Narayana Reddy said. He alleged that Revanth Reddy had turned governance into a “Delhi-centric public relations exercise”. According to him, serious problems relating to agriculture, irrigation, drinking water and electricity are piling up in the state. He also remarked that Delhi cannot become the second Secretariat while the government treats Telangana like a weekend assignment.
The BJP leader said the contrast was particularly striking as Telangana was confronting one of its most difficult monsoon seasons in recent years. The state received 615.5 mm of rainfall during the southwest monsoon against the normal 740.6 mm, a deficit of 17 per cent. Eighteen of the state’s 33 districts ended the season with deficient rainfall.
Preliminary government assessments have identified as many as 320 mandals across 18 districts as facing severe drought conditions. The Chief Minister’s Office has separately referred to drought-like conditions in 235 mandals while further assessment is under way. Narayana Reddy said press conferences and Delhi meetings cannot address the scale of the Telangana drought. “Hundreds of mandals are staring at drought,” he said. He added that tanks are drying, groundwater is falling and crops are under stress.
Telangana drought strains irrigation tanks and power sector
Narayana Reddy described the situation in minor irrigation tanks as particularly alarming. According to available data, around 17,677 of approximately 21,500 monitored tanks were below 50 per cent capacity in early October. About 12,944 were either dry or had less than 25 per cent storage. He said the rainfall deficit had also increased pressure on the power sector, agriculture and drinking-water sources. Farmers are becoming more dependent on borewells and pumping, he said.
He pointed out that the government itself had acknowledged the seriousness of the crisis. It has decided to hold a special Cabinet meeting on October 12. The meeting will review agriculture, irrigation, drinking water and rising electricity demand. “The drought did not arrive in Telangana on October 10,” he said. He added that warning signs were visible months ago and scientists had been cautioning about El Niño. He alleged that the Congress government waited until the crisis reached the doorstep before discovering the need for an action plan.
Narayana Reddy had earlier demanded a comprehensive El Niño action plan. He had also urged the state government to maximise water storage and use available Godavari flows to protect Telangana from prolonged water stress. He said the government is now seeking a Rs 20,000-crore special package from the Centre and preparing further assessments. Farmers, however, need immediate measures from the state government as well, he said.
“Seeking assistance from the Centre is perfectly legitimate, and the Centre should help wherever assistance is due,” he said. A Chief Minister cannot outsource his government’s responsibility to Delhi, he added. Before asking what Delhi will give, he must tell Telangana what his government has already done, he said.
Taking another swipe at the Chief Minister’s travel schedule, Narayana Reddy said people were no longer interested in counting his meetings with leaders in Delhi. They want to know how many drought-hit farmers received assistance and how many tanks the government filled. They also want to know how many acres of crops it protected, how much drinking water it secured and how many villages got uninterrupted power. He said the Chief Minister’s 80th Delhi visit, whenever it happens, should not become another political milestone. The government should instead produce a drought relief cheque in a farmer’s hand, he said.
He demanded that the state government immediately finalise the drought-hit mandals and announce a time-bound relief package. He also called for a crop-loss assessment, stronger drinking-water arrangements and maximum storage in available reservoirs and tanks. The government should also spell out its power-management strategy for the coming months, he said. “Telangana does not need a frequent-flyer Chief Minister. It needs a full-time Chief Minister,” Narayana Reddy said.
