KCR Row: Congress Gets Legal Notice

Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has served legal notices to Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee President, Mahesh Kumar Goud, Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy, and MP Vamsi Krishna Gaddam for allegations made regarding the diversion of Kondapochamma Sagar water to the farmhouse of BRS President and former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.

BRS General Secretary and Legal Cell In-charge, Soma Bharat Kumar, issued notices to the Congress leaders, demanding them to unconditionally delete social media posts and retract the ‘false propaganda’.

The Congress leaders had alleged that water from the Kondapochamma Sagar project was diverted to the farmhouse of K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR).

According to the notice, the allegations are intended to damage KCR’s reputation.

The notices to Congress leaders were issued a day after a similar notice was issued to the management and editor of the Telugu daily 'Velugu' on the same issue.

The BRS Legal Cell has demanded that they immediately and unconditionally delete the relevant posts from their social media accounts and retract the allegedly false campaign.

The Congress leaders were told that if they fail to respond to the notices issued, further legal action—including proceedings for defamation—will be initiated in accordance with the relevant laws.

Earlier, the BRS strongly condemned a report published by ‘Velugu’ and alleged that it was politically motivated and intended to tarnish the reputation of KCR while creating misconceptions among the public about irrigation projects built by the BRS government.

Demanding the immediate withdrawal of the report that was on the front page on October 17, the party has called for an unconditional apology. Bharat Kumar served legal notices on the management and editor of the newspaper.

Questioning the basis of the report, which allegedly linked the irrigation needs of Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district and the Kondapochamma Sagar project and its canal network to KCR’s agricultural land, the BRS sought clarification on the official records and evidence relied upon by the newspaper.

The party questioned whether the Irrigation Department’s records had been examined, the actual routes of the canals had been verified, and explanations had been obtained from the officials concerned.

Publishing allegations with sensational headlines without addressing these questions, it said, was contrary to established journalistic standards.

The party stated that people were closely observing attempts to create controversies by invoking KCR’s name, target the BRS, and discredit irrigation projects undertaken by the previous government for alleged political gains.

It warned that it would not remain a silent spectator if a newspaper were turned into a platform for political propaganda under the guise of press freedom, with allegations published without substantiated evidence.