Hyderabad, 28 December (H.S.): The winter session of the Telangana Legislative Assembly beginning on Monday is expected to be stormy amid a sharp political confrontation between the ruling Congress and opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) over river water issues.

Water-related disputes are likely to dominate the proceedings as the BRS has recently announced an agitation to protect what it termed “Telangana’s water rights”, while the Congress government has challenged the opposition to debate the matter on the floor of the House.

BRS president K. Chandrasekhar Rao, who largely stayed away from public events over the past two years, recently addressed a press conference alleging that the Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy-led government failed to exert pressure on the Union government after the detailed project report of the Palamuru–Rangareddy irrigation project was reportedly returned. He also described the Congress government as ineffective.

The remarks drew a sharp response from the chief minister, who pointed out that Chandrasekhar Rao himself had remained absent from the Assembly for most of the last two years. Revanth Reddy challenged the BRS president to attend the session and accused both the party and its leadership of betraying Telangana more than the erstwhile undivided Andhra Pradesh.

The chief minister said the government was ready for a detailed debate with documentary proof. Responding to Chandrasekhar Rao’s remark that he would “skin” the Congress government, Revanth Reddy on December 24 vowed to prevent the former chief minister’s family from returning to power as long as he remains active in politics. He also asserted that the Congress would form the government again after the next Assembly elections.

Apart from water disputes, Telangana has witnessed almost daily verbal exchanges between the two parties. The BRS is also expected to question the Congress government over the implementation of its election promises, including monthly financial assistance of Rs 2,500 to poor women and one tola of gold for the weddings of poor young women.

The Congress, on the other hand, is likely to corner the BRS over the findings of the judicial commission probing the Kaleshwaram project, which was built during the previous regime, alleging irregularities and lapses.

While the Congress is upbeat following its victory in the recent Jubilee Hills Assembly by-election and the Gram Panchayat polls, the BRS put up a comparatively better performance in rural local body elections.

Since its defeat in the 2023 Assembly elections, the electoral performance of the BRS has remained weak. The party failed to win any seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and subsequently lost the Secunderabad Cantonment Assembly by-election in 2024 and the Jubilee Hills bypoll in 2025.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar