Hyderabad: Telangana BJP president N. Ramchander Rao on Friday said the party supported the Musi River rejuvenation plan but strongly opposed Musi house demolition that could uproot poor and middle-class families.
Speaking to reporters, Rao said the BJP did not oppose the Musi project or the government’s presentations on river beautification. However, he said any redevelopment plan should protect residents living in colonies such as Madhuban Park and Vighneshwar Colony. He said development could not be justified if families lost their homes in the process.
Rao also accused Congress leaders of misrepresenting the BJP’s position on the project. He said Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and Minister Ponnam Prabhakar had made misleading statements by suggesting that the BJP was against the Musi initiative itself. According to Rao, the party’s objection was limited to the displacement of families in the name of redevelopment.
Musi house demolition and rehabilitation demand
Rao said the BJP had backed urban renewal only when affected families were rehabilitated first. He cited the Sabarmati riverfront rejuvenation carried out when Narendra Modi was Gujarat Chief Minister. He said that project had moved forward only after families received rehabilitation and alternative housing. Therefore, he argued that the Telangana government should follow the same model before taking up any demolition near the Musi.
He said the BJP had no objection to large-scale construction under the project. He added that the party would not object even if the government built a massive Mahatma Gandhi statue or developed a Gandhi Sarovar. Even so, he said no family should be left homeless for the sake of beautification.
Rao repeated that the BJP’s stand was not against development. Instead, he said, the party had opposed any Musi house demolition drive that ignored resettlement. He maintained that the state should first protect residents and then proceed with its plans.
Musi house demolition row overshadowed broader project pitch
The BJP leader said the ongoing public debate should focus on balancing development and rehabilitation. He said river restoration could proceed, but only after the government gave clear protection to families facing eviction. He named Madhuban Park and Vighneshwar Colony as areas where residents feared displacement.
Rao also commented on concerns over fuel supplies linked to global tensions. He dismissed fears of shortages and said India sourced crude oil from several countries. He added that the Centre had ensured uninterrupted supplies through the Strait of Hormuz. As a result, he said there was no immediate reason for alarm over fuel availability.
The remarks placed the BJP’s position on record as one of conditional support for the Musi project. The party backed rejuvenation, beautification and related construction. At the same time, it insisted that rehabilitation must come before any eviction of poor or middle-class residents.