Hyderabad:
Bandi Sanjay Kumar, the Minister of State for Home Affairs, has criticized the Congress-led government in Telangana, saying that its downfall has started. He pointed to the recent demolitions around the Musi River as part of the so-called “Musi development” project, accusing the government of failing to keep its promises and not providing funds to village leaders (sarpanches).
Sanjay accused the Congress of using the “HYDRA” (a term he used to describe the government’s actions) to target poor Hindus living near the Musi River. He dared both the Congress and the BRS (Bharat Rashtra Samithi) to contest upcoming elections focusing on these issues. He also claimed that the HYDRA’s actions have caused a crisis in the real estate sector and have hurt the local economy.
He questioned the fairness of demolishing homes built legally, with all necessary permissions, using bank loans, and taxes. Sanjay asked how the government could ignore the suffering of people whose houses were being destroyed by HYDRA. He specifically criticized the demolition of Dalit homes in the Jiyaguda area.
Sanjay further accused HYDRA of threatening Hindu families in areas like Chaderghat, while avoiding demolishing illegal structures built by certain groups, especially those linked to the MIM (All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen) party. He questioned whether the government had the courage to take action against these groups, particularly Owaisi’s followers, who he claimed have taken over land around the Musi River.
He also argued that as long as the MIM, which he referred to as a “Razakars’ party,” continues to exist, the Old City of Hyderabad will never truly transform into a “New City.” According to him, the Congress and BRS are catering to one community for votes and are ignoring illegal constructions by Owaisi’s supporters while targeting the homes of the poor under the guise of HYDRA.
Sanjay termed the Musi beautification project a “big scam.” He said that for the past 30 years, people have been hearing promises about improving the Musi River, but nothing has changed. He claimed that funds had been brought in from countries like Japan and Jamaica under the pretext of cleaning the river, yet the situation remains the same, with the river still stinking and no real progress made.
