BRS working president KT Rama Rao.
Credit: PTI Photo
Hyderabad: As more and more 'victims' are coming out in open criticising the Revanth Reddy government, opposition BRS alleged Congress party for indulging “biggest scam in the country,” orchestrated under the guise of the Musi River Project.
BRS working president KT Rama Rao said that the Congress party is trying to use the project as a financial reserve for the upcoming national elections.
KTR highlighted the 'absurdity' of the budget allocated for the Musi project, which has been inflated to Rs 1.5 lakh crore. In comparison, the much larger Namami Gange project for cleaning the Ganges cost Rs 40,000 crore. He questioned the Congress Party’s intentions and called the proposed expenditure a scam in the making.
“What is the reason behind such an exorbitant budget for Musi? If Rs 40,000 crore were sufficient for over 2200 KM the Ganges, why is Congress spending Rs 1.5 lakh crore on 55 km of the Musi?” KTR questioned. He further alleged that Congress is prioritizing this project for financial gain rather than public welfare.
Talking to reporters on Monday, KTR accused Revanth Reddy, Telangana Congress Chief, of turning into a "destroyer" for the victims of the Musi encroachments. He condemned the Congress party’s bulldozing of poor people's homes without a proper rehabilitation plan in place.
“Revanth Reddy is playing the role of a tyrant for Musi victims. Families are crying for justice, yet the Congress leadership remains deaf to their pleas. What’s more disturbing is that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy is using officers as a shield and letting them take the heat from the public,” KTR added.
KTR also alleged that the Musi project is being treated as a "reserve bank" by the Congress party to fill its coffers ahead of the next general elections. He accused the party of diverting public attention away from its unfulfilled promises and spending Rs 1.5 lakh crore on a project that benefits no one but the Congress.
“Congress has done nothing for the people in the last 300 days of their rule. They haven’t fulfilled even one of their promises, yet they are spending Rs 1.5 lakh crore on a river beautification project that serves no public interest,” KTR said. He condemned the Congress government for failing to address the real needs of the people while embarking on extravagant, unnecessary projects.
“You promised homes under Indiramma, but instead, you're demolishing homes. How many more homes will you destroy in the name of development? Stop hiding behind bureaucrats and face the people,” he remarked.
KTR reaffirmed the BRS party's commitment to standing with the people of Telangana. He mentioned that the BRS party’s legal team has already challenged the Congress government's arbitrary demolitions in the High Court, which responded favorably. KTR promised that if necessary, the BRS would take the fight for justice all the way to the Supreme Court.
KTR meets Musi river project victims
He also met with the victims of the Musi River project in Hyderguda, Kishanbagh extending his support and assuring them of protection from the Congress government’s proposed Musi project. Addressing the gathering, KTR remarked: "From 1920 to 2020, we never faced any major issues with the Musi River. It was only in 2020, due to an unprecedented heavy downpour, that problems arose in the area. Even then, KCR ensured that the public did not face any hardships."
KTR criticised the Congress government, people as encroachers stating, "The same Congress that gave permission and registered the properties is now demolishing the very homes it approved. This government's actions are so disorganized that the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing. Revanth Reddy is an unfit, incapable Chief Minister, causing immense disruption. The buildings marked for demolition are worth around Rs 1,000 crore of public property only in one stretch in Hyderguda"
KTR also recalled the negative history of Congress governance: "During previous Congress regimes, Hyderabad used to see frequent curfews. But after KCR became Chief Minister, Hyderabad has flourished without a single curfew. Now, lakhs of people in Hyderabad are worried about losing their homes, and Congress is targeting Hyderabad's BRS supporters out of revenge. Rahul Gandhi says 'Bulldozer Raj' won't work in Uttar Pradesh, but in Telangana, their leaders are enforcing it. The way people are criticizing Revanth Reddy on social media shows that his credibility is already sinking."