Hyderabad: BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao on Monday criticised the Telangana government’s GHMC division plan. He called it arbitrary, unscientific, and politically driven. He accused Chief Minister Revanth Reddy of treating Hyderabad like a corporate asset. Moreover, he claimed Reddy was acting on the advice of financial brokers instead of respecting democratic procedures.
Speaking in the Legislative Assembly, KTR claimed the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation was being split into three zones. This division lacked any logical or administrative basis. He ridiculed the proposal of creating a “Fourth City.” Furthermore, he warned that the government might eventually declare it a separate municipal corporation. According to him, this move aimed to benefit the ruling Congress and its ally AIMIM by redrawing boundaries for electoral gain.
He demanded a full-scale debate in the Assembly on the GHMC division plan. BRS, he said, would question both the rationale and the timing of the restructuring. Recalling his party’s historic win in the 2016 GHMC election, he noted that even Old City wards had once supported BRS—a feat no party has achieved since.
“Whatever is being done must be scientific. If it’s done at will, we will not stay silent,” KTR warned, urging the government to be prepared for public accountability.
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KTR questions SIT probe, water project delays, and electoral strategy
KTR also took aim at the Congress government’s phone-tapping allegations. He said intelligence surveillance had existed since Nehru’s time and was part of any government’s responsibility to maintain law and order. “If surveillance doesn’t exist, how does a Chief Minister receive intelligence reports?” he asked. In his view, such systems operate under regulations and do not require personal instructions from the CM.
He dismissed the Special Investigation Team probe as politically motivated. The government, he alleged, was using it to deflect public attention from its failures. “Even the current DGP was part of the earlier setup. Why hasn’t there been a press conference if there’s real evidence?” he questioned.
KTR criticised the state for halting tenders related to the Palamuru–Rangareddy project. He accused the government of obstructing essential canal works out of political rivalry. According to him, all required approvals were in place. The project had been initiated under the drinking water category to avoid delays. He cited Polavaram as a precedent and pointed to KCR’s swift execution of the Kaleshwaram project as an example of sincere governance.
He said additional TMC works under Kaleshwaram had helped secure Telangana’s rightful share of Godavari waters. In contrast, he accused Revanth Reddy of pursuing a vendetta. “He abuses me because I stop his corruption. I can tolerate attacks on me, but not on KCR,” KTR stated.
Discussing recent local elections, KTR claimed that BRS-backed sarpanches had won despite some party leaders defecting to the BJP. He ruled out bringing those leaders back, citing their poor electoral performance. He also criticised the Congress for delaying MPTC and ZPTC elections. Allegedly, the party used financial excuses to stall municipal polls.
Regarding the defection of 10 MLAs to Congress, KTR said BRS had taken legal action and had formally distanced itself from those legislators.
He concluded by responding to Revanth Reddy’s handshake with former CM KCR in the Assembly. KTR welcomed the gesture, calling it a sign of political civility, but urged the CM to maintain that tone in public as well. “Every Telangana citizen respects KCR as the leader who brought statehood. If the CM can show that courtesy in the House, that culture should reflect outside too,” he said.