Cong MP takes exception to Kerala CM's criticism of Telangana govt over demolitions

Hyderabad, Mar 2 (PTI) Taking exception to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's criticism against the Congress government in Telangana over demolitions in Khammam district, Congress MP Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy on Monday said the comments are politically motivated.

Vijayan has made the statement keeping the coming Assembly elections in Kerala in mind, he said.

"The Kerala CM has described Congress government in Telangana as 'bulldozer raj' without having a proper idea of what happened in Khammam district, and just keeping the upcoming elections in Kerala in mind," Kiran Kumar Reddy, Bhongir MP, told PTI.

Pointing out that CPI is an ally of Congress in Telangana, he said a CPI MLA represents a constituency in Khammam district in the Assembly.

It would have been better had Vijayan spoken to the CPI MLA before making the statement against the Congress government, Reddy said. Congress always stands for the poor, and its ideology is connected to the poor, he said.

State Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy had earlier said that some persons had deceived poor people at Velugumatla in Khammam district by collecting money on the false promise of providing pattas for the huts they had erected on a land parcel.

Attacking BRS, he asked why pattas were not provided to those who erected the huts at Velugumatla when the regional party was in power from 2014 to December, 2023.

The Congress government would soon provide housing to the displaced people under the 'Indiramma' scheme and also punish those who collected money from them, he said.

Vijayan on Monday alleged that the recent demolition drive in Telangana’s Khammam district reflects 'bulldozer raj' and accused the Congress government there of rendering hundreds of families homeless without prior notice.

In a statement, Vijayan said that after the Congress-ruled Karnataka, the 'bulldozer raj' has now surfaced in Telangana as well, which he described as a "matter of concern".

Referring to reports from Velugumatla village in Khammam district, he claimed that around 700 houses built on 'Bhoodan' land were demolished in the early hours of February 25, allegedly without prior notice. PTI SJR SJR ADB