Harish Rao accuses Congress of misusing HYDRA agency for political vendettas
At a press conference at Telangana Bhavan on Sunday, Harish Rao accused Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy of engaging in diversion politics, claiming he is more focused on undermining political rivals than addressing urgent issues like the viral fevers affecting the state.
Hyderabad: Former Minister and Siddipet BRS MLA T Harish Rao launched a scathing attack on the ruling Congress for misusing the newly established Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Monitoring and Protection (HYDRA) Agency, to settle political scores. He said HYDRA which was originally intended to address urban planning issues, is being used to target opposition leaders, specifically those from the BRS party, under the guise of enforcing the law.
Addressing a press conference at Telangana Bhavan on Sunday, Harish Rao said Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy is engaging in diversion politics, by focusing more on undermining its political rivals than addressing the pressing issues like viral fevers in the State. He accused the Chief Minister of misusing agencies like HYDRA to target the BRS elected representatives and force them to defect to the Congress. He said HYDRA is acting like an extra-judiciary organisation and demolishing the constructions without prior notices.
He pointed out that BRS MLA Palla Rajeshwar Reddy has become the latest victim of this vendetta, with his educational institutions being targeted under the pretext of illegal constructions. He presented documents pertaining to all necessary permissions, including those from the Irrigation and Revenue departments, to confirm that Rajeshwar Reddy’s colleges are not in violation of any regulations and do not fall under the buffer zone or the full tank level (FTL) as being alleged by the government.
“Rajeshwar Reddy is being charged with baseless accusations and harassment by the same departments that previously cleared his projects. He is ready to remove the illegal encroachments, if the government proves its allegations,” the senior BRS legislator said, adding that the Chief Minister was targeting Rajeshwar Reddy financially, to pressure him join the Congress party. He pointed out that the Congress poached Patancheru MLA Gudem Mahipal Reddy from the BRS by registering cases against him over non-payment of taxes pertaining to mining activities, but took no action after he joined the Congress.
Palla Rajeshwar Reddy, also present at the press conference, said Revanth Reddy is conspiring to demolish his medical college, calling it a politically-motivated move. He reiterated that his institutions, established 25 years ago, have never before faced such attacks and challenged the government to prove any illegal encroachments through a public survey.
Further, Harish Rao criticised the Congress government for neglecting public health, citing the rise in dengue and chikungunya cases across Telangana. He said the State government has been indifferent to the suffering of the people, while simultaneously engaging in political drama. He pointed out that the dengue cases have surged by 36 per cent in the State, but the State government did not initiate preventive measures from spreading further.
He also took aim at Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, demanding a white paper on the State’s finances, including income, salaries and interest charges/payments against market borrowings. He said while the State is plaguing with multiple issues, the Chief Minister is busy shuttling between Hyderabad and Delhi, neglecting the issues faced by the people.
