Telangana’s Congress government has allocated 0.6 tmcft of water from the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Project (PRLI) to the Dindi project, and a separate proposal to move the Mudiraj community into the BC-A category has pushed the state into open unrest.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy made the water decision, and it has drawn immediate objections from leaders in the Palamuru region. Leaders in Nalgonda have welcomed it. The two sides are now trading sharp words in public.

Palamuru Pushes Back as Nalgonda Cheers

Farmers’ organisations, intellectuals and retired employees have already been staging protests against plans to divert PRLI water to the Dindi project. The Chief Minister’s decision has only intensified that opposition.

The row has also turned personal among senior leaders. Legislative Council Chairman G Sukhender Reddy criticised Mahabubnagar MP DK Aruna for demanding the cancellation of the Dindi project. He said the government’s primary objective is to protect the interests of farmers in both Nalgonda and Mahabubnagar districts.

Sukhender Reddy described the Chief Minister’s decision as a significant step towards fulfilling the long-standing aspirations of people in the erstwhile Nalgonda district. For Nalgonda, the move is a long-awaited win. For Palamuru, it is a warning.

Leaders, farmers and intellectuals have demanded that water for the Dindi project be sourced from elsewhere. Their fear is concrete. They believe diverting PRLI water to Dindi could affect irrigation and drinking water supplies in the erstwhile Palamuru region.

The Mudiraj Proposal Opens a Second Front

The water allocation is not the only flashpoint. The Chief Minister has also assured the Mudiraj community that it will be moved from BC-D to BC-A, and that a Cabinet sub-committee would be constituted to examine the proposal. He gave that assurance last Thursday.

That promise has drawn strong objections from other communities already in the category. BC-A currently includes 68 other communities. Their representatives argue that the Mudiraj community is already economically and politically empowered.

The core fear is about reservations. Existing BC-A communities worry that Mudiraj’s inclusion would dilute the reservation benefits available to them. For groups that have spent generations in the category, that is not an abstract concern.

Why the Classification Matters

The BC classification system has deep roots. The Kalelkar, Rohini and Anantharaman Commissions, along with various expert committees, spent years travelling across the State to study the occupations and living conditions of Backward Classes. Based on their reports, BCs were classified into four categories: A, B, C and D.

That is why the current debate carries weight beyond one community. Any change to the category list reshapes who gets what, and the existing BC-A groups are making clear they will not accept a shift without a fight.

A member of the Telangana Gangaputra Community Development Organisation said the proposal to include Mudiraj in BC-A would not be tolerated. He made the case directly.

BC-A comprises 68 castes, including service castes, occupational castes and nomadic tribes. Unlike the Mudiraj community, these castes have not progressed in economic, social, moral or political terms.

That argument frames the Mudiraj question as a fairness issue inside the backward classes, not just a political favour. Supporters of the proposal have not been quoted in the source material, so the government’s own reasoning remains limited to the Chief Minister’s assurance.

A Government Caught Between Two Fights

The Congress government now faces pressure on two fronts at once. On water, it is caught between the farmers of Nalgonda and Mahabubnagar, each with competing claims on PRLI supplies. On caste, it must balance a promise to one community against the anxieties of 68 others already inside BC-A.

Both disputes are rooted in scarcity and entitlement. Water is limited, and reservation seats are limited. When either resource is redistributed, someone loses ground, and the people who expect to lose are not staying quiet.

Sukhender Reddy’s framing of the decision as protecting farmers in both districts will be tested. Palamuru’s objections suggest that the government has not yet convinced the region that its drinking water and irrigation are safe.

For now, the state is watching a government decision on water and a political promise on caste play out in public, with leaders on each side preparing for the next round.