Telangana Congress faces internal trouble over HYDRAA

The outburst of a few Congress leaders, right from working president T Jagga Reddy to Khairatabad MLA Danam Nagender, over the HYDRAA demolitions and eviction in the name of the Musi riverfront project could be just the tip of iceberg, with party sources revealing that quite a few Ministers and senior leaders were unhappy with the way Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy was handling the issue. Many are worried about the negative publicity that the party is getting ever since HYDRAA was launched and are expressing concern over how this would affect the party in the forthcoming local body polls.

Ever since HYDRAA commenced demolitions in different areas, there has been strong criticism over the way people were being subjected to agony. With the affected public too venting their ire openly against the party, with even women sparing no words in castigating Revanth Reddy, Congress leaders are facing tough times in their areas. Khairatabad MLA Danam Nagender found fault with the way the poor and middle class people were subjected to inconvenience and being pushed into misery. He also said the poor living in basthis should be spared and that he would take up the issue with Revanth Reddy.

Earlier, former union Minister and Congress leader MM Pallam Raju too had expressed anguish over the demolition of the ORO Sports Village near Osman Sagar, pointing out that the demolition of his brother Anand’s sports venture was carried out without notice and consideration of prior permissions. He had said



he was feeling the pain of the vilification of a clean record of three generations of public life.

Similar opinion has been expressed by a few Ministers and senior leaders in the party. Save for a few Ministers, others are maintaining a strategic silence on the issue and staying away from the entire episode.

“The intention behind establishing HYDRAA is welcomed. But the way things are being executed, it is presenting the government in poor light. This cannot continue for long,” a senior leader from the party said.

In addition to HYDRAA, the decision to impose markings on houses in different areas alongside River Musi has also not gone well within the party. Even before the DPR of the Musi riverfront project was finalized, the urgency in executing the project has come under the scanner. A few Ministers are also not convinced with the way the State leadership was taking unilateral decisions in a few aspects without taking all leaders into confidence.

The issue of demolitions is not limited to Hyderabad. Officials in different districts are conducting surveys in many areas and it may be recalled that about 75 houses were razed at Christianpally in Mahabubnagar last month.

“Panchayat elections are due in a couple of months, followed by municipal elections. The demolitions have instilled fear among people and in such a situation, how we can approach them for votes?” asked another leader from Gandhi Bhavan.