Latest news with #Revanth
The Print
9 hours ago
- Politics
- The Print
Revoke Gaddar award for Razakar movie produced by BJP leader—civil rights body to Telangana govt
In a press conference Wednesday, the APCR sought the reassessment of the award selection process to ensure 'alignment with principles of historical accuracy and social unity'. It also sought a public statement from Revanth clarifying his government's position on endorsing a film, which 'distorts history and promotes communal disharmony through a state-backed award named after Gaddar'. The movie, 'Razakar: Silent Genocide of Hyderabad', is on the paramilitary wing Razakar which was active during the Nizam's rule in the erstwhile Hyderabad state. Hyderabad: The Telangana chapter of the Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) has urged Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to revoke the Gaddar award conferred on a movie produced by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Gudur Narayan Reddy. Born as Gummadi Vithal Rao in 1949, Gaddar was a former Naxalite-turned-social activist who became associated with the Telangana statehood movement. The balladeer passed away in 2023. APCR members took exception to his name being associated with a movie produced by a BJP leader, and one which purportedly paints the Muslims in a negative light. 'This action is critical to restore the integrity of the Gaddar Awards, honour the secular and revolutionary legacy of Gaddar, and address the hurt caused to Telangana's secular communities which want to protect its Ganga Jamuni Tehzeeb (read, syncretic ethos),' the APCR said, seeking revocation of the award, Last week, the Congress government-instituted Telangana Gaddar Film Awards gave the movie an award under the 'Environment/Heritage/History' category. It was given three awards—feature film on environment/heritage/ history; best makeup artist, and best music director. This, the APCR members said, is a 'profound insult to the legacy of legendary communist leader and balladeer Gaddar who dedicated his life to secular values and the upliftment of marginalised communities.' They said that the movie blatantly contradicts the Gaddar Awards, which was instituted to celebrate cinematic excellence and cultural integrity. 'The film presents a selective and distorted portrayal of history, reducing the complex Telangana Armed Struggle (1946-51) to a communal Hindu-Muslim narrative,' the APCR stated. Originally slated ahead of the 2023 Telangana polls, the movie was released before the 2024 general elections. BJP's Narayan Reddy was accused of creating communal disharmony by portraying the entire Muslim community as anti-Hindu. The Congress party, the association said, opposed the movie before its release due to the divisive content and now endorsed it through the state-backed award. 'This contradictory stance has deeply hurt the sentiments of Muslims and secular-minded people across Telangana, who view the awards as an endorsement of communal propaganda.' Meanwhile, a senior functionary of the Telangana Congress Pradesh Committee (TPCC) said that such episode would only distance the minorities from the party. 'Many already take swipe at CM Revanth Reddy by calling him an RSS agent due to his ABVP days. This will only add to it,' he told ThePrint. (Edited by Tony Rai) Also Read: Congress in Telangana gave award to Razakar—a propaganda film that demonises Muslims
Time of India
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Telangana CM Revanth Reddy's big demand: 1,500 TMC water for state; seeks NOC, project clearances from centre and AP
Telangana CM A Revanth Reddy HYDERABAD: Chief minister Revanth Reddy urged the Centre and the AP govt to issue a no objection certificate allowing Telangana to utilise 1,500 tmc of water-1,000 tmc from the Godavari and 500 tmc from the Krishna rivers-with Union govt approval. Revanth said this allocation could irrigate up to 1.5 crore acres in Telangana. He assured that his govt would not oppose AP's projects, provided Telangana's long-pending demands were fulfilled first. He urged Union minister CR Patil to immediately grant clearances and allocate water for Telangana's priority projects, including Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme, Sammakka-Sarakka barrage and Tummidihatti project. Revanth also sought central funding for the Musi rejuvenation project.
Time of India
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Godavari-Banakacherla row: Revanth Reddy hints at moving SC; Centre may call Apex Council meet soon with him & Chandrababu Naidu
HYDERABAD: With tensions escalating between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh over the proposed Godavari-Banakacherla link project, the Centre is likely to convene an Apex Council meeting soon, bringing both chief ministers to the table to resolve the contentious water sharing dispute. The Apex Council-last convened in Oct 2020-is headed by Union jal shakti minister CR Patil. CM A Revanth Reddy and irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy, who met Patil in Delhi on Thursday, said the Union minister had assured them that the meeting would be held soon. During the hour-long meeting, Revanth made it clear that Telangana would not compromise on its water interests under any circumstances. He conveyed to the minister that while the state was open to resolving disputes through dialogue, it would approach the Supreme Court if the Centre's actions were not in Telangana's favour. Revanth proposed an alternative plan, stating that if AP truly believed surplus water was available in the Godavari, the Centre could consider linking the Icchampally-Nagarjuna Sagar route to lift water to the Penna basin, instead of Polavaram-Banakacherla. This, he said, could be centrally funded. The CM also urged the Centre to expedite the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II verdict. The CM urged Patil to intervene and halt all works initiated by the AP govt on the Banakacherla project, and to reject the pre-feasibility report submitted by AP on the link project. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Scam Exposed: What They Won't Tell You about zero trust! Expertinspector Click Here Undo Revanth and Uttam argued that the Banakacherla project violates the interests of Telangana, as well as the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal (1980) and the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014. They expressed concern over how the Union finance ministry and environment ministry appeared to be fast-tracking approvals for AP's projects while neglecting Telangana's. Revanth said AP's claim of basing the Banakacherla project on Godavari floodwaters had no legal or technical standing. "There is no mention of floodwaters or surplus waters in the GWDT-1980," he said, arguing that the entire project lacks regulatory grounding. Revanth reminded the Union minister that as per the Reorganisation Act, new inter-state projects must first be cleared by the Godavari River Management Board, Central Water Commission, and the Apex Council. "The AP govt violated mandatory procedures and is going ahead with project. Their claim that project is based on floodwaters is not only misleading but has no statutory support," he said. Uttam said Patil responded positively and confirmed that his ministry had not received any detailed project report related to Banakacherla from AP so far.
United News of India
19 hours ago
- Politics
- United News of India
Telangana govt urges Centre to stall Banakacharla project proposed by AP govt
Hyderabad/ New Delhi, June 19 (UNI) Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and Irrigation Minister Capt. N Uttam Kumar Reddy today urged the Union government to stall the Godavari-Banakacharla Project proposed by the Andhra Pradesh government, which they said is against natural justice and the interests of Telangana. The CM reiterated to Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil that they will not compromise on the interests of Telangana under any circumstances and will try to resolve the issue amicably through all platforms. The CM made it clear to the Union Minister that if the Centre's response was not favorable, the state government will approach the Supreme Court. Revanth and Uttam, who who met Jal Shakti Minister Patil in New Delhi, appealed to him to reject the pre-feasibility report (PFR) of the project proposed by the Andhra Pradesh government and to "ensure that justice and truth prevail". Besides the Union Minister, they also met Secretary of the Union ministry Debashree Mukherjee and other senior officials at Shramshakti Bhavan in the national capital today. Briefing the Jal Shakti Minister, the Chief Minister and his colleague Minister said that the Banakacharla project was against the interests of Telangana state. They explained how the Andhra Pradesh government was taking up the project in contravention of the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal-1980 (GWDT) and the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014. The Chief Minister brought to the attention of the Union Minister the various concerns raised by the people and farmers of Telangana over the way the Union Finance Ministry and the Environment Ministry are handling the Banakacharla project approvals. The CM informed CR Patil that AP claimed that it proposed the Banakacharla project based on flood waters of Godavari, but the truth is that there is no mention of flood waters or surplus waters in the GWDT-1980. According to the 2014 AP Reorganization Act, if a new project is to be built in any state, it must first be discussed and approved by the Godavari River Management Board, Central Water Commission (CWC) and the Apex Council headed by the Jal Shakti Minister and the Chief Ministers of the two states, CM Revanth Reddy pointed out. "Andhra Pradesh violated all these important issues and was proceeding with efforts to construct the project," he complained. The AP government's claim that it undertook the project based on flood waters was strongly objectionable because there was no rule-basis for such an argument, the CM added. Taking serious note of all these issues, Chief Minister Revanth and Minister Uttam appealed to the Union minister to immediately intervene in this matter and stop all works being undertaken as part of the Banakacharla project. Further, the CM and irrigation minister informed CR Patil that AP has undertaken Purushothapatnam, Venkatanagaram, Pattiseema and Chintalapudi lift irrigation projects under Polavaram by using flood waters without obtaining permission from the Technical Advisory Board in the CWC. CM Revanth Reddy explained to Union minister Patil about the change of the Polavaram designs as per the GDWT -1980 regulations and works being carried out in violation of the environmental clearances despite objections being raised. The CM requested the Union Minister that the Central government should pay attention to ensuring that no violation of regulations takes place while constructing the Polavaram national project. The CM also told CR Patil that the Telangana government was ready for talks to discuss lifting of water to Penna basin by linking Icchampally–Nagarjuna Sagar, which will be funded by the Centre, instead of Polavaram–Banakacharla, if Andhra Pradesh really believes there is any flood water in river Godavari. The CM also pleaded with the Union Minister to ensure that the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-2 verdict is issued soon. UNI KNR RN
Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
CM Revanth Reddy offers 1,580 tmcft deal to Andhra Pradesh, seeks NOC for Telangana projects; warns of legal fight over Godavari-Banakacherla (GB) link project
HYDERABAD: Chief minister A Revanth Reddy Wednesday made an open offer to his Andhra Pradesh counterpart N Chandrababu Naidu: If the AP govt believes that over 3,000 tmcft of surplus or floodwater from the Godavari flows into the sea every year, then it should issue a blanket no objection certificate (NOC) allowing Telangana to use 1,000 tmcft from the Godavari and 580 tmcft from the Krishna for its ongoing and future irrigation projects. In return, Revanth said, Telangana would not oppose AP's use of surplus waters from either river. "If AP believes 3,000 tmcft of water is going waste every year, we are ready to cooperate. Let both states use the river water without objecting to each other's projects," he said, addressing the media after an all-party meeting on the Godavari-Banakacherla (GB) link project. Revanth accused the AP govt of unilaterally proceeding with the GB link project in violation of norms. "We will fight this through every constitutional means-complaints to central agencies, legal recourse, and finally taking the matter to the people," he said. CM: BRS Never Objected To AP Water Diversion From Srisailam After making an open offer to his Andhra Pradesh counterpart on sharing Godavari and Krishna water, chief minister A Revanth Reddy on Wednesday criticised BRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao. Revanth alleged that former CM K Chandrasekhar Rao gave AP the reason to justify Banakacherla project. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Gentle Japanese hair growth method for men and women's scalp Hair's Rich Learn More Undo 'During the Apex Council meeting in 2016, KCR claimed that 3,000 tmcft of water flows waste into the sea annually. That statement has now become AP's basis for pushing the project,' he said. The CM also played video clips of KCR publicly stating that he would support AP, as a 'big brother,' in supplying water to drought-hit Rayalaseema. 'KCR repeatedly said 'no basins, no ego'. He even met then CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy four times. Following those meetings, the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme was taken up and BRS never objected to Krishna water diversion from Srisailam,' he pointed out. He also lashed out at former irrigation minister T Harish Rao for 'spreading misinformation' against the Congress govt on the Banakacherla issue. 'They ruled for 10 years, yet didn't complete a single major project on Krishna or Godavari. They built only Kaleshwaram project and it has collapsed,' he said. Revanth also criticised Union minister G Kishan Reddy for not attending the all-party meeting. 'Kishan Reddy did not come to the meeting but he met jal shakti minister on Wednesday as we are meeting him on Thursday. He must have informed the Union minister not to give any assurance to us,' the CM alleged. The all-party meeting was attended by Congress MPs, BJP MPs DK Aruna and M Raghunandan Rao, AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi, and BRS MP Vaddiraju Ravichandra. Meanwhile, responding to CM Revanth Reddy's allegations, Harish Rao accused him of twisting facts. Harish Rao said Revanth quoted only point No. 1 from the meeting, while ignoring other key portions where KCR had clearly stated that the Centre should not proceed with the Godavari-Krishna linking project without consulting the Telangana govt.
