Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president KT Rama Rao (KTR) on Sunday made a big allegation that the Musi River Project of the Congress government has been the cause of large-scale destruction and displacement for poor and middle class families. He also said that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy “believes in Godse but talks about Gandhi.”
According to the official statement issued by the party, while addressing the meeting of party workers in Rajendranagar constituency, KTR said that Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson Tushar Gandhi had also opposed the demolition of houses in the name of Musi Project. He alleged that despite these objections, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy is going ahead with the plan to displace thousands of families in view of “commission and financial gain”.
‘So CM should stop the demolition of houses’
Criticizing the Chief Minister’s proposal to install a statue of Mahatma Gandhi, KTR said that Revanth Reddy “believes in Godse but talks about Gandhi.” He said that if the Chief Minister really respects Gandhi’s ideals, then he should avoid the process of demolishing people’s houses. KTR also alleged that the children facing displacement had also appealed to the government not to demolish their houses and had even offered their piggy bank savings, but the administration had no effect.
The former minister also further accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of supporting the works related to the Musi project of the Congress government. Describing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Revanth Reddy as “elder brother” and “younger brother” respectively, KTR alleged that the two leaders were working together to facilitate land acquisition and demolition along the Musi river.
No funds, spending Rs 1.5 lakh crore: KTR
KTR asked, “If Modi is serious, then why doesn’t he stop the injustice being done to poor people and save their land from being grabbed?” He said that local BJP leaders are giving strong statements against the project, while their own government is giving approval for demolition. In this context, he met BJP leaders Eatala Rajendra and G. Took the name of Kishan Reddy. Questioning the government’s priorities, KTR said that despite claiming lack of funds to fulfill election promises in the last two and a half years, the Congress government was ready to spend ₹1.5 lakh crore on the Musi project.
According to a statement issued by the party, KTR alleged that the project was designed to earn commission and accused Revanth Reddy of sending funds to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to save his position. KTR said that the funds proposed for the Musi project should be used to fulfill the promises made by the Congress party. He described the tenure of the Congress government as a “complete flop” and claimed that people across the state were waiting for political change.
Telangana has been turned into a mafia state: KTR
Alleging large-scale corruption in the state, KTR said that Telangana is being run as a “mafia state” where public resources are being looted extensively. He accused Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and several other Congress leaders of promoting land grabbing and intimidation.
Referring to an alleged land-related case in Shamshabad, he claimed that 180 acres of government ceiling land in Rajendranagar constituency was transferred to private entities under the supervision of the Congress government. KTR also criticized the government’s “Future City” initiative and alleged that it was designed to protect land allegedly belonging to the chief minister rather than promote urban development.
He questioned the local MLA’s decision to change parties in the name of development and challenged Congress leaders to name any one major development initiative launched in the constituency in the last two and a half years. Expressing confidence over the party’s future prospects, KTR said that despite many leaders leaving the party, the “Pink Army” remains strong and will contest against BRS president K. Will bring Chandrashekhar Rao back to power.
What is Musi River Project?
Musi River Rejuvenation Project is an ambitious plan of the Government of Telangana, a major urban transformation and environmental restoration initiative. The objective of this project is to rejuvenate the 55 km long stretch of Musi River in Hyderabad. For this project, an investment of Rs 7,055 crore has been received in the first phase and funds have been received from the Asian Development Bank. This project focuses on development, environmental improvement and flood management.
Under this project, the vacant part of the Musi River will be transformed into a magnificent corridor, in which things like multi-use buffer zone, continuous walking path (promenade), cycle track and Gandhi Sarovar to be built on 200 acres will be created. Also, to reduce traffic jams, a 55 kilometer long East-West Corridor will be built, in which 6-lane roads and new multi-modal bridges will be built on both sides.
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