Kishan Reddy Slams Congress Over HYDRAA's 'Selective' Action in Telangana
Synopsis
Union Minister and BJP Telangana chief Kishan Reddy has accused the Revanth Reddy government of deploying HYDRAA selectively — demolishing poor citizens' homes while leaving the MIM-linked Barrister Fatima Owaisi Educational Campus, reportedly in Salkam Cheruvu's FTL zone, untouched despite Telangana High Court observations.
Key Takeaways
Kishan Reddy accused the Telangana Congress government on July 5, 2026 of selective enforcement through HYDRAA.
The Barrister Fatima Owaisi Educational Campus is reported to be located in the FTL and buffer zone of Salkam Cheruvu in Hyderabad.
The Telangana High Court has issued repeated observations on the matter, with records sought from HYDRAA and the Education Department.
Kishan Reddy argued that poor Muslim families were also affected by HYDRAA demolitions, but neither MIM nor Congress protested on their behalf.
HYDRAA was launched by the Congress government in 2024 as a dedicated lake-protection and anti-encroachment agency.
The BJP is expected to sustain pressure ahead of potential local body and assembly by-elections in Telangana .
Union Coal and Mines Minister G. Kishan Reddy on Sunday, July 5, 2026, launched a sharp attack on the Revanth Reddy-led Congress government in Telangana, accusing it of running a two-tiered system of justice — deploying HYDRAA demolitions ruthlessly against ordinary citizens while allegedly shielding assets linked to the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) from the same enforcement. The BJP's Telangana state president specifically cited the Barrister Fatima Owaisi Educational Campus, reported to be situated in the Full Tank Level (FTL) and buffer zone of Salkam Cheruvu, as a glaring example of this selective governance.
Context
Kishan Reddy's post questions whether the Congress government's restraint on the Fatima Owaisi campus matter stems from 'fear of the MIM, love for the MIM, or both.' He argues that HYDRAA — established by the Congress government in 2024 as a dedicated agency for disaster response and asset protection around water bodies — has become 'a symbol of selective governance, swift and ruthless against the common man, but silent and indecisive' when allegations concern MIM-linked properties. The minister also notes that the Telangana High Court has issued repeated observations on the matter, with delays and inaction drawing judicial scrutiny across multiple departments including HYDRAA and the Education Department.
Crucially, Kishan Reddy draws attention to the impact of HYDRAA's demolitions on poor Muslim families, arguing that neither the MIM nor the Congress protested when those demolitions took place, yet both parties are seen standing together when MIM-linked assets face scrutiny. 'What is being protected is not the Muslim community, but the political interests of the MIM,' he states.
Policy Backdrop
Urban lake protection has been a persistent flashpoint in Hyderabad for over a decade. The Telangana High Court has, since the 2010s, issued a series of directions for the removal of encroachments from the FTL and buffer zones of the city's water bodies, as rapid urbanisation placed growing pressure on lakes including Salkam Cheruvu. HYDRAA was created specifically to operationalise these mandates, giving the state a dedicated enforcement arm. However, opposition parties have consistently alleged that enforcement has not been uniform, with politically connected constructions escaping the agency's attention.
The broader pattern Kishan Reddy invokes — BJP accusing Congress of prioritising its electoral alliance with AIMIM over uniform regulatory enforcement — has been a recurring feature of Telangana politics since the Congress returned to power in December 2023. Real estate and land dealings in and around Hyderabad's expanding urban core have added a financial dimension to these accusations, with the minister alleging that 'lust for commissions from land and real estate deals' drives the government's choices.
Stakeholders and Impact
At the centre of the dispute are Hyderabad's poor residents — including Muslim families — whose homes and livelihoods have been affected by HYDRAA demolitions. Kishan Reddy's framing is pointed: he argues that the Congress government's posture of treating MIM as the sole representative of all Muslims is 'simply not true,' and that the party's selective protection exposes its vote-bank calculus rather than genuine concern for the community. 'For the poor, there are bulldozers. For the Congress-Majlis political ecosystem, there is protection,' he writes.
The Telangana High Court's continued interest in the Fatima Owaisi campus matter means that judicial pressure on the state government is ongoing, and any further inaction risks contempt proceedings. Local body and assembly by-elections on the horizon in Telangana add a political dimension, as both the BJP and Congress seek to consolidate their respective bases among urban and minority voters.
What's Next
Kishan Reddy closes with a direct demand: that the Congress government 'remove its communal and vote-bank lens from governance, stop shielding its political allies, and uphold one Constitution, one rule of law and one standard of justice for every citizen of Telangana.' All eyes will now be on further Telangana High Court proceedings regarding the Barrister Fatima Owaisi Educational Campus and whether HYDRAA widens its enforcement drive to include properties currently untouched. The BJP is likely to sustain pressure on this issue, particularly as any divergence between the court's observations and the government's actions becomes a ready campaign point. Selective enforcement, as Kishan Reddy warns, risks eroding public faith in governance — and that erosion, he signals, will have electoral consequences for the Congress in Telangana.
Point of View
Grounding the BJP's criticism in judicial record rather than allegation alone. This fits a wider BJP strategy in Telangana of positioning itself as the party of uniform rule of law against a Congress-AIMIM axis accused of transactional, community-specific governance. With local body elections potentially approaching, the Fatima Owaisi campus episode is likely to remain a live issue that the BJP will use to test whether its governance-over-identity messaging gains traction among Hyderabad's diverse urban electorate.
NationPress
5 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is HYDRAA and why is it controversial in Telangana?
HYDRAA, the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Protection Agency, was set up by the Telangana Congress government in 2024 to enforce lake protection norms and remove encroachments from water-body buffer zones. It has become controversial because opposition parties, including the BJP, allege that its demolition drives have targeted ordinary residents while sparing properties linked to politically connected groups such as the MIM.
What is the Barrister Fatima Owaisi Educational Campus issue?
The Barrister Fatima Owaisi Educational Campus has been reported to be situated within the Full Tank Level (FTL) and buffer zone of Salkam Cheruvu in Hyderabad. The Telangana High Court has issued observations on the matter and sought records from HYDRAA and the Education Department, but the state government has been accused of failing to act with the same urgency it shows in other demolition cases.
What did Kishan Reddy say about HYDRAA and the MIM?
Kishan Reddy accused HYDRAA of being 'swift and ruthless against the common man, but silent and indecisive' when allegations concern MIM-linked assets. He argued that poor Muslim families whose homes were demolished by HYDRAA received no support from either MIM or Congress, while both parties appear united in protecting MIM-linked institutional properties.
Has the Telangana High Court intervened in the Salkam Cheruvu encroachment case?
Yes. The Telangana High Court has made repeated observations on the matter, raising questions over delays and inaction, and has sought records from multiple departments including HYDRAA and the Education Department. However, specific details of recent court orders are subject to ongoing proceedings.
What is the BJP's broader political argument against the Congress in Telangana?
The BJP, led in Telangana by Kishan Reddy, argues that the Revanth Reddy government is driven by vote-bank politics — treating the MIM as the sole representative of Muslims while selectively enforcing laws to protect its political allies. The party is calling for 'one Constitution, one rule of law and one standard of justice' for all citizens of Telangana.
