HYDERABAD: Terming the Musi Riverfront Development Project a “lootification project”, BRS working president KT Rama Rao on Wednesday accused Rahul Gandhi of orchestrating a scam to make money from the initiative, claiming that Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy is just a puppet in the scheme.
During an informal chat with reporters here, Rama Rao demanded clarity on who authorised this project and alleged that Rahul was sending bulldozers to demolish the homes of the poor in Telangana. Stating that the initiative only benefits Congress and not the people, the BRS MLA claimed that Revanth wants to loot the poor under the guise of the Musi project, and turn it into a ‘Reserve Bank of India’ for the Congress.
He noted: “Our government estimated the cost of the project to be Rs 16,000 crore. However, on the instructions of the then chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, we set it aside. Now, how did the cost escalate to Rs 1.5 lakh crore? For the Namami Gange project, taken up by the Centre to clean river Ganga, the cost to develop 1 km is Rs 17 crore, but for the Musi project, the government wants to incur Rs 2,700 crore for 1 km.”
The Sircilla MLA asked the CM to explain the need for Rs 1.5 lakh crore for the Musi project, pointing to a lack of consistency among Congress leaders. “During the inauguration of the Gopanpally flyover, the CM announced a Rs 1.5 lakh crore budget for the Musi project. Yet, one minister claims the cost was not decided and the other mentions Rs 1.5 lakh crore. There seems to be no coordination between the CM and his ministers,” he remarked.
Contradictory statements
The BRS MLA criticised Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu’s contradictory statements regarding the project report, citing Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka’s assertion that no Detailed Project Report was prepared during the BRS government. “What’s with these contradictory statements from ministers?” he questioned, stating that no Congress leader was aware of the vision of the Musi project and demanded a special Assembly session to discuss the initiative.
Addressing the plight of residents in the Musi catchment area, he asked, “While people are suffering, why is the chief minister silent on the issue? Why is he avoiding it? Where is Rahul Gandhi, who promised to stand by the people in times of need? Why isn’t he speaking out as people face bulldozers ?” He criticised the CM for acting inhumanely. Rama Rao further alleged that Revanth was collecting the RR tax (Rahul Gandhi–Revanth Reddy tax). He said: “On behalf of Revanth Reddy, his close associates — Fayeemuddin, Rajender Reddy, AV Reddy and Udaya Simha — are collecting RR tax.”
Responding to the comments of Konda Surekha, he said: “First she should clean the mouth and tongue of Revanth with phenyl and a toilet brush.”
He also referred to previous allegations made by Surekha regarding phone tapping, emphasising the impact of such claims on his family’s reputation.
