Telangana State Planning Board Vice Chairman B Vinod Kumar has announced that the Centre will be setting up a Turmeric Board and Tribal University. The announcement comes after relentless pressure from the BRS leaders, who are now claiming credit for the decision and criticizing the BJP for the delay.
The BRS leaders have been advocating for the formation of a tribunal for the distribution of Krishna water since the formation of the state. They first wrote a letter to the Centre on July 14, 2014, requesting an inquiry under Section 89 of the Inter-state River Water Disputes Act 1956. However, Telangana opposed this inquiry.
In 2018, the inquiry was limited to Telangana, but the Centre still did not form a tribunal. As a result, the state government filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court in 2015. The Centre asked the government to withdraw the case, which it did in June 2021. However, the Centre took two more years to make a decision, leading the BRS leaders to question why it took so long.
According to Vinod Kumar, the Centre has not played a significant role in ensuring a fair share of Krishna water for Telangana. He hopes that with the Centre’s decision, the process of distribution and sharing will be completed soon.
The BRS leaders also criticized the BJP for making these announcements at the end of their rule, suggesting that it was a move to gain votes in the upcoming elections. They pointed out that BJP MP D Arvind had promised to establish a Turmeric Board but failed to deliver on that promise. They also questioned the delay in the formation of the Tribal University, noting that the Centre had started a similar university in Andhra Pradesh in a smaller space.
The BRS leaders believe that these announcements will only benefit their party and not the BJP, who they claim have no chance of coming to power in Telangana. They compare the BJP’s actions to the Congress’s announcement of a separate state before elections, suggesting that it is a desperate move with no other options.
