Hyderabad: Attacking the grand old party over the Kancha Gachibowli land row here, former Telangana finance minister and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLA Harish Rao on Friday, March 4, wrote a letter to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi pointing out the destruction of greenery in the land under Telangana chief minister Revanth Reddy.
“I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing to express my deep concern regarding the actions of the Congress government in Telangana, led by Mr. Revanth Reddy, which, unfortunately, seem to deviate from the principles you and your party stand for. You have consistently preached about upholding constitutional values, yet your party’s Chief minister appears to be disregarding these very principles on a daily basis,” said Harish Rao in his letter to Rahul Gandhi.
A day earlier on Thursday, April 3, the Supreme Court had halted all work in the 400 acres of Kancha Gachibowli land that the state has under its control. The land was earlier with the University of Hyderabad (UoH), which had in 2003 given to the state. The land, which was freely accessible by students, had been given for development to a company and was taken back.
Police restrict movement at Kancha Gachibowli land amid protests
The Telangana got possession of it last year and now decided to clear the greenery for real estate development. As JCBs landed in the land to clear it, it was met with fierce resistance by UoH students, and their protests have also been supported by the BRS.
Pointing out that Rahul Gandhi has always stood against ‘bulldozer Raj’, Harish Rao stated that is ” disheartening to see your party’s Chief minister employing bulldozers frequently”. He said that bulldozers have been used to demolish the homes of the poor and middle class under the guise of HYDRAA and Musi River beautification.
“This destructive behaviour has extended to Hyderabad Central University (HCU), where more than 100 acres of flora have been destroyed, and the habitat of numerous endangered species has been disturbed. The use of bulldozers has left the national bird, the peacock, and other species of birds in a perilous situation as they are deprived of shelter. Moreover, the use of police brutality against students and professors at HCU has been condemned by all including NSUI of HCU, except your party,” stated Harish Rao.
He “reminded” Rahul Gandhi that when he had visited UoH after the suicide of the Dalit student Rohit Vemula, the then BRS government him with an escort and facilitated his support for the protesting students.
“You had also promised the students that you would be there for them in times of need. It is shocking, then, to see your conspicuous silence during the police brutality that took place at HCU. The Congress government in Telangana did not stop its brutal actions until the Hon’ble Supreme Court intervened. I demand an explanation for your silence and your party’s blindfolded behaviour during the entire episode at HCU,” said the BRS leader.
