Harish Rao calls Revanth Reddy ‘Chota Yogi’, says Congress running UP-model bulldozer government

BRS leader Harish Rao accused the Congress government in Telangana of adopting a bulldozer-style governance similar to Uttar Pradesh and betraying minorities, while claiming that the previous BRS government had implemented several welfare schemes for minority communities

Hyderabad: Slamming the Congress government in Telangana for running what he called a ‘bulldozer government’ carrying out demolitions on the lines of those in Uttar Pradesh, former Minister and BRS Legislature Party Deputy Floor Leader Harish Rao likened Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to Yogi Adityanath and accused him of betraying minorities.

Addressing an Iftar gathering organised at Bada Gundu in Marthanda Nagar of Serilingampally constituency, Harish Rao said K Chandrashekhar Rao, during his tenure as Chief Minister, had given special importance to the welfare of minorities and ensured that Imams and Muezzins received honorariums, a step not taken by earlier governments. Official Iftar dinners were organised across the State and Muslims were treated with respect and dignity. The government also ensured 24-hour electricity and safe drinking water, resolving the hardships minorities earlier faced during Ramzan, he said, pointing out that on the other hand, the Congress government had stopped the Ramzan Tohfa scheme in districts after coming to power, with the scheme being offered in Hyderabad only for political reasons ahead of elections.

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Harish Rao also criticised the Congress government for failing to fulfil its promise of allocating Rs 4,000 crore for minority welfare, stating that not even Rs 1,000 crore had been spent so far. In contrast, the BRS government had spent Rs 2,500 crore on minority welfare programmes. The BRS government had established 204 Minority Residential Schools, enabling minority students to pursue quality education in English and Urdu medium and compete globally as doctors, engineers and professionals, he said, also recalling welfare initiatives such as Shaadi Mubarak and Kalyana Lakshmi, under which financial assistance of Rs 1 lakh was provided to support the marriage of girls from poor families irrespective of religion.

The KCR Kit scheme, which provided financial support and medical care for mothers and newborns, ensured safe deliveries and transportation of mothers and infants to their homes after childbirth. The healthcare infrastructure in Hyderabad was also strengthened by establishing 350 Basti Dawakhanas and expanding hospital facilities, including oxygen-supported beds during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, under the Congress government, even basic medicines were now not available in many Basti Dawakhanas.

Harish Rao also criticised the government for demolishing houses in Hyderabad under the HYDRA initiative, stating that while the BRS government constructed one lakh double-bedroom houses for the poor, the present government had failed to build new houses and instead demolished many homes. Drawing comparisons with Uttar Pradesh, Harish Rao said the governance style of Revanth Reddy resembled that of a bulldozer government. “Just like the bulldozer rule in Uttar Pradesh under Yogi Adityanath, Telangana is now witnessing a similar style of governance. Revanth Reddy has become Telangana’s Chota Yogi,” he remarked.

Harish Rao said the government’s plan to demolish 10,000 houses along the Musi river had created fear and uncertainty among poor families living in the area. The Congress government was creating new problems instead of solving existing issues, he said, adding that the Chief Minister was merely inaugurating flyovers built during the BRS government rather than initiating new development projects.

Kukatpally MLA Madhavaram Krishna Rao and other BRS leaders were also present.