BRS MLC Dasoju Sravan urges Rahul Gandhi to stop Gandhi statue project in Hyderabad

BRS MLC Dasoju Sravan has written to Rahul Gandhi seeking intervention against the proposed Rs 5,000 crore Mahatma Gandhi Sarovar Project on the Musi riverfront. He urged the Congress leadership to halt evictions and prioritise social guarantees.

Hyderabad: BRS MLC Dasoju Sravan urged Congress Lok Sabha leader Rahul Gandhi to ensure immediate intervention to halt the proposed Rs.5,000 crore Mahatma Gandhi Sarovar Project on the Musi riverfront in Telangana.

In an open letter, Sravan appealed to Rahul Gandhi that the Congress government in Telangana, led by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, was pursuing monumentalism at the cost of poor families. He stated that the proposed 500 ft Gandhi statue would displace thousands of families and violate their right to housing, in contrast to the Congress party’s stated commitment to social justice and empathy.

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He urged Rahul Gandhi to verify the facts and instruct the Chief Minister to stop all evictions linked to the project. He demanded that funds earmarked for the statue be diverted to fulfil welfare guarantees promised during the 2023 Assembly elections.

Citing Mahatma Gandhi’s own opposition to statues, the BRS MLC argued that using his name to justify demolitions amounted to a betrayal of Gandhian ideals. He also alleged a nexus between the Musi beautification project and corporate interests, raising concerns over reported understandings with private entities.

Sravan sought restoration of full public access and dignity to the 125-foot Ambedkar statue near the Secretariat, accusing the government of selective reverence. He urged the Congress government to focus on in-situ ecological restoration of the Musi, redirect funds towards welfare guarantees, and restore dignity to existing public monuments. He warned that failure to intervene could damage both public trust and the Congress leadership’s moral standing.