The Bharatiya Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has intensified its criticism of Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, likening the recent demolition drive in Khammam district to the devastation witnessed in Gaza and describing the state’s governance as “Revanth’s Bulldozer Raj.”
In a post shared on X on Friday, February 27, the party released a video juxtaposing aerial visuals of destruction in Gaza and the West Bank with drone footage from the demolition site in Khammam. The caption read: “THIS IS NOT GAZA! This is Telangana under Revanth’s rule.” The video presented “before” and “after” images of the Velugumatla area, where several structures were razed during a large-scale clearance operation.
According to reports, nearly 500 families were evicted from land identified by authorities as government-owned, locally referred to as “Bhodan land”, parcels said to have originally been allocated to landless beneficiaries. The demolitions have triggered political backlash and public debate, particularly over the scale and manner in which the exercise was conducted.
The Gaza comparison, however, drew criticism online, with some users objecting to what they described as an inappropriate analogy. “Demolition is not genocide. It is still very wrong to demolish the houses of people, but do not associate it with Gaza,” one user wrote, reflecting a broader sentiment that the imagery risked trivialising an ongoing international conflict.
Earlier, BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao visited the affected families on Thursday, February 26. Addressing residents, he assured them that houses would be rebuilt on the same land and stated that the party would bear the expenses required to move the Supreme Court in pursuit of legal relief. He accused the state government of targeting vulnerable communities and pledged continued political and legal support.
In a separate social media post, the BRS contrasted its tenure in office with the current administration, asserting that its government had prioritised housing for the poor, while alleging that the present dispensation was dismantling such protections. “The difference is clear! KCR rule: A government that gave shelter to the poor. Revanth rule: A government that destroys the poor’s shelter,” the party said.
The political fallout extended beyond the BRS. On Thursday, February 26, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) Floor Leader Akbaruddin Owaisi also criticised the demolitions, drawing parallels between Revanth Reddy and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. He alleged that religious structures, including mosques and dargahs, were being targeted in both Telangana and Uttar Pradesh.
“Yogi demolishes houses with bulldozers there; here, Reddy is also demolishing houses and mosques. There is no difference between Yogi and this Reddy. There is no difference between the BJP and the Congress,” Owaisi said, sharpening the political rhetoric around the issue.
The developments have further escalated tensions between the ruling Congress government in Telangana and opposition parties, with the demolition drive in Khammam emerging as a flashpoint in the state’s political discourse.
