The demolition drive in Hyderabad by HYDRA is acting as a lifeline for the BRS, which has faced a loss of power in assembly elections, poor performance in parliamentary elections and internal defections.
This initiative appears to be a strategy for the party to regain confidence and rebound. Under the guise of "beautification," demolitions have been taking place in the Moosi river basin for several days, targeting various houses small and big of the common people.
Large buildings, villas, apartments and smaller homes of the poor and middle class within the riverbed buffer zone are being demolished. Some demolished structures are newly built, while others are decades old.
For years, no government dared to intervene in demolishing the houses of poor due to vote-bank politics. Corruption among officials who issued permits for illegal constructions compounded the problem.
When KCR first came to power in 2016, he pledged to demolish about 28,000 illegal buildings in Hyderabad. However, after ten years in power, little has been done.
Now, with the Revanth government demolishing illegal buildings, KTR and Harish Rao are outraged. Victims are turning to the BRS for support, which could yield political advantages in upcoming local body or bi elections. Meanwhile, the BJP lacks a unified stance, with party leaders divided on the issue.
While MP Etala Rajender is angry about the demolitions, another MP Raghunandana Rao is supporting it. He wants to extend it to the districts as well. In any case, it can be said that BJP is failing to take advantage of the situation in Telangana.
Right now the victims are looking at BRS as hero and pleading its party leaders to protect them, while cursing the Congress vehemently, seeing it as villain.
