Kaleshwaram Row: KCR to Appear Before Inquiry Panel Amid BRS Family Rift

HYDERABAD:
The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) finds itself under intense political spotlight as its chief and former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao (KCR) is set to appear before the PC Ghose Commission of Inquiry on Tuesday. The commission is probing alleged irregularities in the planning and execution of the ambitious Kaleshwaram irrigation project.

KCR will appear as Witness 115, a development that has stirred both political circles and party dynamics. Ahead of his deposition, the BRS has planned a show of strength, with senior leaders preparing to escort KCR in a convoy from Telangana Bhavan to the Commission’s office at BRK Bhavan.

What adds fuel to the unfolding drama is the likely public reunion of key BRS family members amidst swirling rumours of an internal rift. BRS MLC K Kavitha, KCR’s daughter, has announced her presence at BRK Bhavan from 10 am, potentially bringing her face-to-face with her father, her brother and BRS working president K T Rama Rao (KTR), and cousin Harish Rao – the state’s former irrigation minister – for the first time since reported tensions came to light.

A private letter Kavitha had written to her father following a public meeting in Hanamkonda on April 27 was recently leaked. In it, she criticised what she termed KCR’s “selective accessibility” and raised questions over alleged overtures towards a BJP merger, triggering widespread political buzz.

Kavitha’s cryptic remarks calling her father “a God surrounded by devils and coverts” further stoked speculation about underlying tensions within the BRS top brass. The senior leader also alleged a targeted campaign against her on social media and expressed that she was being sidelined within the party ranks.

Despite the unfolding family dynamics, the focus remains on KCR’s deposition before the commission. Over the past two days, he held deliberations with Harish Rao, who had appeared before the commission on June 9. Rao defended several decisions regarding the Kaleshwaram project, notably the relocation of the intake point from Tummidi Hatti to Medigadda, citing objections from Maharashtra, water scarcity, and environmental constraints. He also submitted reports from the Central Water Commission to back the project’s technical shifts.

With political intrigue and accountability converging, KCR’s testimony is expected to be a pivotal moment not just for the BRS but for Telangana’s political narrative as well.