KTR interview: ‘Revanth Reddy has no regard for the law … turned Telangana into an Emergency state’

Excerpts:

* The protests at the University of Hyderabad have escalated, and the Supreme Court has also stayed the clearing of the “forest land”. What is your take on the issue?

We have been very vocal about the issue. The issue at hand is simple. The piece of land has been contentious for the past 21 years, for which successive governments have fought in courts. In fact, the protest is an outcome of the first Telangana movement in which around 350 people died. It is sentimentally attached to the people of Telangana.

We welcome the apex court verdict. The Congress government, in utter disregard for the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), has treated the land as a normal one. No politicians were involved in the protests. It is because of the students’ and social media warriors’ efforts that the Supreme Court ordered a stay.

The Congress government is insensitive. The land is one of the few “lung spaces” in western Hyderabad, the showpiece of the city that has many skyscrapers. The Vata Foundation approached courts to protect this lung space and, within 10 days, the Congress government started action with earth-moving equipment. What was the hurry? The government only wanted to clear the 400 acres to make a point in court that it was barren.

The BRS and students are very clear. We just want the land to be kept as is to ensure that the lung space is protected. When we come back to power, we will turn the land into one of the biggest eco parks. To those involved in the auction, I want to tell them clearly that the land will be taken back by the BRS government and there will be no point in complaining then.

* The Supreme Court criticised Revanth Reddy twice in a week …

Let me say that he faced the Supreme Court’s wrath earlier too when BRS MLC K Kavitha was granted bail (in the alleged Delhi excise scam). He is a habitual offender and has no regard for the law of the land. There can be no bigger humiliation for him than the words of Justice B R Gavai, who is one of the senior most judges of the Supreme Court. I hope some wisdom dawns on him now.

* You spoke about the role of “social media warriors”. In Telangana, journalists and social media figures have been arrested for criticising the state government.

Recently, Congress MP K C Venugopal spoke about the importance of the media and why it is essential not to crush it. I think he was speaking about Telangana. While the Congress top brass sings one tune, the Reddy government does absolutely the opposite. The left hand does not know what the right hand is doing. Over 500 cases have been filed against our leaders for speaking out against the government. It only exposes the hypocrisy of (Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha) Rahul Gandhi.

Before coming to power, Reddy promised a praja prabhutvam (people’s state) but Telangana has turned into an “Emergency state” under him.

* The Congress promised six guarantees before coming to power in 2023, but their implementation has faced hurdles. The 400 acres were also put up for auction to generate funds. What is your take on the implementation of the promises?

It is not just six guarantees. Reddy, Priyanka Gandhi (Congress’s Wayanad MP), Mallikarjun Kharge (party president), and Rahul Gandhi (Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition) made a total of 420 promises ahead of the Assembly polls through the farmers’ declaration, Backward Classes (BC) declaration, and the Kamareddy declaration. At that time, economists and people like us questioned them about how they would get money for the promises. Reddy, Bhatti Vikramarka (Deputy CM), and Uttam Kumar Reddy (state minister) said, “We are the Congress, and we know how to generate wealth.”

However, today they claim there is no money. Were you not there during the 10 years of BRS rule? You saw everything. You saw the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) reports. Now, suddenly, the coffers are empty?

Since the Congress came to power, vehicle sales, revenue and stamp collections have been in the negative. The only sector where positive growth has been seen is in excise. Telangana is not bankrupt. You (Congress) are intellectually bankrupt.