Telangana's Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy on Sunday, 20 September 2026, issued a firm assurance that the state government will not acquire 'even an inch' of land belonging to Dalit communities. The clarification came after revenue authorities served notices to 120 Dalit farmers in Erravalli village of Siddipet district, asking them to produce land ownership documents — a move that had triggered anxiety among the affected families.

What Prompted the Assurance

The notices followed Chief Minister Revanth Reddy's announcement in the state Assembly last week that the government would inquire into the farmhouse of former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) at Erravalli. Revanth Reddy reportedly claimed the farmhouse spans 700 acres, of which 388 acres is government land. The proximity of the Dalit farmers' holdings to this disputed property appears to have fuelled fears of a wider land acquisition drive.

What the Government Said

'The government will not take away even an inch of your land. This government has no intention of acquiring your land. There is no need for you to feel any fear or anxiety regarding your lands; the people's government stands by you,' Srinivasa Reddy told Dalit communities in his statement.

He emphasised that processes such as land record verification, surveys, and dispute resolution should not be interpreted as attempts to seize land. According to the minister, the government's objective is to clearly document people's land rights and protect them — not to dispossess rightful owners.

Allegations of Political Incitement

Srinivasa Reddy alleged that certain powerful individuals were deliberately spreading 'malicious propaganda' and stoking panic among Dalit landholders for political gain. He urged residents not to act on unverified claims. 'Do not believe any malicious propaganda without verifying the facts,' he stated.

Calling KCR a 'Dora' — a term connoting feudal authority — the minister urged communities not to trust the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) chief, who, he argued, had promised three acres of land to every Dalit family upon coming to power but failed to honour that commitment.

Congress's Land Legacy, as the Party Claims It

The minister cited what he described as the Indian National Congress (Congress) party's record on land rights, claiming that Congress governments had distributed approximately 25 lakh acres of land to Dalits in the Telangana region and granted rights over nearly 2 lakh acres of 'Podu' land to tribal communities. He positioned the current government as a continuation of that tradition, asserting that Congress's policy is to 'provide land to the landless and rights to those who lack them.'

The episode underscores the politically charged nature of land rights in Telangana, particularly as the Congress-led state government pursues scrutiny of its predecessor's assets. How the Erravalli inquiry proceeds — and whether the notices to Dalit farmers are withdrawn or resolved — will be closely watched in the weeks ahead.