The political war of words in Telangana over the Musi Riverfront Project, a flagship initiative of the Congress government, has intensified with the Opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) seeking senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s ‘immediate intervention’ to halt the multi-crore project.
In an open letter, the BRS leader Dasoju Sravan pointed out that the Congress government was pursuing ‘monumentalism’ at the cost of the livelihood of poor families. He said the proposed 500-ft statue of Mahatma Gandhi, as part of the Musi Riverfront Development, would displace thousands of families and violate their right to housing, in contrast to the Congress party’s stated commitment to social justice and empathy.
He urged Rahul Gandhi to verify the facts and to instruct the Chief Minister Revanth Reddy to stop all evictions linked to the project. He demanded that funds earmarked for the statue be diverted to fulfil welfare guarantees promised during the 2023 Assembly elections.
Citing Mahatma Gandhi’s own opposition to erecting statues, the BRS member of the Legislative Council argued that using his name to justify demolitions amounted to a betrayal of Gandhian ideals. He also alleged a nexus between the Musi beautification project and corporate interests, raising concerns over reported deals with select private entities.
Sravan sought restoration of full public access and dignity to the 125-foot Ambedkar statue near the Secretariat, accusing the government of selective reverence. He urged the Congress government to focus on in-situ ecological restoration of the Musi, redirect funds towards welfare guarantees, and restore dignity to existing public monuments. He warned that failure to intervene could damage both public trust and the Congress leadership’s moral standing.
The project is part of a 200-acre development plan aimed at rejuvenating and beautifying Musi river that flows through Hyderabad and adjoining districts.
In the first phase, the government proposes to develop the 55-km-stretch of the Musi River in Hyderabad on the lines of Sabarmati Riverfront Project of Gujarat and Hooghly Riverfront Project of Kolkata.
As part of Musi riverfront project, a tourism circuit will be designed by connecting the historical buildings— Charminar, Taramati Baradari and other tourist places situated along the Musi catchment areas.
Also read: Telangana got a raw deal in Union Budget, say opposition leaders
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