Criticising the Congress government in Telangana for the proposed demolition of houses along the stretch of Musi river under the Musi Riverfront Development Project, both the BJP and BRS have vowed to stand beside those who are being displaced.

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs and BJP leader Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Sunday slammed the state government, stating that the bulldozers should go over BJP workers first before the Congress goes ahead with the demolition of houses belonging to the poor. “Is harassing the poor, Indiramma Rajyam? Be it HYDRAA or Musi, BJP is all geared up and will stand before the bulldozers in support of the poor, opposing these unjust demolitions. The financial condition of the state is very bad, and nobody is ready to invest. Real estate has collapsed. This is not how a government should be run. The Congress government should rethink its decisions and take a step back immediately,” said Bandi Sanjay Kumar.

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BRS working president KT Rama Rao, who had been indisposed for a while, announced on Sunday that he will visit areas under Rajendranagar and Ambarpet to meet the affected residents. “These mindless, ill-conceived bulldozer actions must be stopped, and we will do everything possible for the affected people,” Rao said. In an oblique reference to AIMIM, which has so far maintained a total silence on the issue despite a large section of the project-affected people being minorities, he said that if the elected MLAs (belonging to AIMIM) from these constituencies do not respond to the woes of the people, the BRS would intervene on their behalf.

The BRS leaders have been meeting the affected people and highlighting their plight on social media platforms ever since the survey to mark the houses set to be demolished began. On Sunday, children stood with placards to protest against the demolition drive of the government. Most of these houses are on the banks of the river which has turned into a moribund sewage-carrying drain in this stretch. These are unauthorised constructions but over the years people have paid taxes and utility bills. During the monsoon every year, these houses are usually flooded and people are evacuated. However, they cannot afford to move away due to apprehensions of losing their livelihood.

Even BRS-turned-Congress MLA Danam Nagender criticised his own government, stating that the demolition of houses belonging to the poor was not right. He suggested that the dwellers on the banks of Musi should be adequately counselled and alternative arrangements made for them. Marking their houses with red paints and conducting hurried surveys were hasty decisions, he said, and emphasised that they should be provided with houses at the same location.

However, Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar accused the BRS of spreading false propaganda. “Not a single house will be demolished in the Musi catchment area. If the people agree, we will allocate double-bedroom houses. The BRS is engaged in false propaganda on social media against the Congress party. We are not like the previous government which lathicharged the victims of Mallannasagar and Gauravelli projects. The BRS is provoking people after losing power,” he said.