HYDRAA a tool of extortion for Revanth Reddy govt: KTR
BRS working president KT Rama Rao accused the Congress government of using HYDRAA as an "extortion tool" and targeting ordinary citizens through selective demolitions. He said the BRS would abolish the agency if voted back to power and also raised concerns over prohibited lands, NEET protests and delimitation
Hyderabad: BRS working president KT Rama Rao launched a blistering attack on the Congress government, accusing it of using HYDRAA as a tool of extortion, mishandling land administration and pursuing politics of intimidation. He reiterated that upon returning to power, the BRS will abolish HYDRAA and even consider necessary action over its illegal use against the poor.
Interacting with mediapersons in New Delhi on Tuesday, Rama Rao cited recent observations of the Telangana High Court on HYDRAA and stated that the agency had become an instrument for targeting properties of ordinary citizens, while sparing illegal constructions of influential persons including the Chief Minister, the Ministers, the ruling party leaders, and their family members.
Demanding uniform enforcement of the law, he called for action against alleged constructions within Full Tank Level (FTL) and buffer zones belonging to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s family members, Ministers Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy and G Vivek Venkataswamy, MLA Patnam Mahender Reddy, KVP Ramachandra Rao and others. He said people would believe the law was being applied fairly only if action was taken irrespective of political affiliation. “The Revanth Reddy government has been using HYDRAA as a tool for blackmail and extortion,” he remarked.
The former Minister also stated that the extent of prohibited lands in Telangana had increased from about 16 lakh acres when the BRS left office to nearly one crore acres under the Congress government. He accused the government of expanding the prohibited lands list to facilitate corruption and commissions. “Large-scale demolitions and wrongful inclusion of properties in the prohibited list in Hyderabad had hurt the real estate sector. During the same period, the government failed to create any new housing for the poor,” he said.
On financial management, Rama Rao said it was natural for an incoming government to inherit both assets and liabilities. He reminded that the BRS government cleared nearly Rs 4,000 crore in pending dues left by the previous Congress government and ensured that students and citizens were not inconvenienced even during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also said the State’s monthly revenues had increased from about Rs 4,000 crore when the BRS assumed office to around Rs 18,500 crore by the end of its tenure. He reminded that the State’s assets increased proportionate to the increased debts and liabilities during the BRS rule.
Turning to national issues, the BRS working president said growing youth dissatisfaction over education and employment had become a serious concern, with the recent protests triggered by NEET reflecting deeper frustrations. He warned that India could witness Gen-Z-led movements if governments ignored the aspirations of young people and urged all political parties to introspect.
He said the country required greater accountability, transparency and long-term structural reforms in terms of examinations. Pointing to repeated paper leaks during the NDA government’s tenure, he said the BRS would support any legislation aimed at strengthening the examination system. He sought clarity on the implementation of the Dr K Radhakrishnan Committee’s recommendations and also welcomed the proposed Nandan Nilekani committee.
Rama Rao raised concerns over the proposed delimitation exercise, asserting that States which successfully implemented population control should not be penalised. Referring to the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, he stated that provisions relating to increasing Lok Sabha seats in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh remained unimplemented even after 12 years.
He said all political parties should evolve a common position to safeguard the interests of southern States before any delimitation exercise was undertaken. He insisted that the delimitation exercise and the Women Reservation Bill should not be intertwined. He reiterated that decentralisation should remain the guiding principle behind delimitation. He added that the BRS would announce its position in Parliament at an appropriate time while protecting Telangana’s interests.
