KTR questions Rahul Gandhi's silence on demolitions in Telangana

Hyderabad, Nov 2 (IANS) Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president K. T. Rama Rao on Sunday questioned the silence of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over what he termed as the demolition of houses of the poor by the Congress government in Telangana. 

The BRS leader asked why Rahul Gandhi, who had earlier dared the governments in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh to “run over him,” was turning a blind eye to the “injustices” in Telangana.

Making a presentation on the demolitions carried out by the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA), KTR played an old video clip of Rahul Gandhi’s statement in Delhi, in which he had said that the government would have to drive a bulldozer over his body.

The presentation, carrying the slogan “A different justice for rich and poor,” highlighted the demolitions undertaken by HYDRAA. Several people affected by these actions also spoke about the alleged injustices meted out to them.

The BRS leader alleged that many people had become victims of the “anarchy” being perpetrated by the government in the name of HYDRAA in Hyderabad. He said that several others had also suffered due to the Musi project and HYDRAA operations.

He claimed that during the 10-year rule of former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR), the state had witnessed large-scale development and construction. “In Hyderabad alone, one lakh double-bedroom houses were built. The Secretariat was built, which can compete with the White House, and the country’s biggest police command and control centre was constructed,” he said.

He added that 42 flyovers and underpasses were constructed in Hyderabad, Collectorate buildings were established in every district, and major irrigation projects were completed.

“See the contrast. In these two years, what (Chief Minister) Revanth Reddy has done is only demolition,” he said.

Exuding confidence that the KCR-led government would return to power within 500 days, KTR promised that justice would be done to everyone.

Accusing the Congress government of having “one system of justice for the rich and another for the poor,” he alleged that a house was bulldozed barely a week after its housewarming ceremony.

Displaying videos and photographs, the BRS leader said that in one incident, a pregnant woman was pushed aside for protesting against a demolition, while in another, a three-year-old child went without food.

Referring to a presentation made recently by Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, KTR questioned why the government had used bulldozers on the houses of the poor and not on those of big builders.

“If all are equal before the government, why didn’t it go after the rich and the powerful? Why were they not issued notices?” he asked.

KTR said that although HYDRAA had claimed it would not spare anyone constructing buildings within the Full Tank Level (FTL) areas, it did not act against influential persons.

Alleging that a Revenue Minister had built a house by filling up a lake, KTR asked whether the HYDRAA Commissioner would dare to touch that house.

He further alleged that another minister, Vivek, had constructed a house near Himayat Sagar lake, but HYDRAA did not take any action there either.

The former minister also claimed that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s brother, Tirupati Reddy, had built a house within the Dugram Cheruvu FTL. “The poor are not given time so that they can’t approach court to protect their houses, but Tirupati Reddy was allowed to go to court and get a stay,” he said.

Alleging that MLC Patnam Mahender Reddy had constructed a house in the middle of a lake, KTR said HYDRAA had no courage even to issue a notice in that case.

--IANS

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