Because of Santhosh and Harish Rao, KCR is facing Kaleshwaram corruption allegations: Kavitha

Hyderabad: In a sensational charge, Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) MLC and daughter of former Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, Kalvakuntla Kavitha, accused BRS MLA and former Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao, along with her cousin Joginapally Santosh Rao and former Rajya Sabha MP Megha Krishna Reddy of being responsible for KCR being ‘framed’ in the PC Ghose Commission of Inquiry on the Kaleshwaram project.

CM orders CBI probe into Kaleshwaram project report

On Sunday, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into alleged irregularities in the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project.

The move came after a marathon 10-hour Assembly debate on the Ghose Commission report. The Commission, headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose, was tasked with probing charges of corruption and lapses in the project’s execution.

He emphasised the need for a CBI-led investigation, citing the involvement of multiple Central and State agencies, including public sector undertakings like WAPCOS and financial institutions such as Power Finance Corporation (PFC).

The Chief Minister accused the previous BRS regime of misusing public funds, revealing that the Kaleshwaram Corporation had borrowed Rs 85,449 crore for the project, with a significant portion at high interest rates.

‘KCR is a scapegoat’

Kavitha, who returned from the USA on Monday, addressed a press conference where she made explosive remarks, asserting that KCR was being made a scapegoat in the controversy.

“Harish Rao and Santosh Rao played a key role in the irregularities. They, who managed crucial aspects of the project, amassed huge assets while keeping KCR in the dark. BRS cadres must ask—how did corruption’s shadow fall on KCR?” she questioned.

She further alleged that CM Revanth Reddy was shielding Harish Rao and Santosh Rao while deliberately targeting her father. Breaking into tears, she said, “My father is being unfairly vilified while the real culprits walk free.”

‘Allegations started only after Harish Rao’s removal’

Kavitha insisted that KCR never pursued money, adding that the irregularities surfaced only after Harish Rao was removed as Irrigation Minister during BRS’s second term.

She concluded that KCR would emerge ‘as pure as a pearl’ from the ongoing CBI probe.

What does Ghose Commission state?

The Ghose Commission’s report, submitted on July 31 and approved by the State Cabinet on August 4, has raised significant concerns about the Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages. The report highlighted negligence, financial irregularities and suppression of facts in the project’s execution.

Structural faults were found in all three barrages, and the Commission held the previous BRS government, including KCR, responsible for poor planning and execution.