Telangana BJP President N. Ramchander Rao interacting with people who were ‘displaced’ due to demolitions at Velugumatla in Khammam on Sunday. | Photo credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Telangana BJP president N. Ramchander Rao accused the Congress government of demolishing houses belonging to poor families across the state by “circumventing legal procedures for real estate interests”.
During his one-day tour of Khammam district on Sunday, Mr. Rao visited Velugumatla and met displaced families whose houses were demolished. He alleged that Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy “moved with a crowbar in hand” and oversaw the demolition of houses despite court orders directing the authorities to maintain the status quo.
He called the demolitions “inhumane” and said nearly 1,800 people from 600 working-class households had been made homeless. Houses built with their hard-earned savings near the Collectorate office were demolished in violation of Supreme Court stay orders, which he described as “cruel and shameful”.
Mr. Rao also alleged that the government harbored malafide intentions as property prices in the area skyrocketed after the establishment of the collectorate and the proposed expressway project. He argued that the poor were being pushed out because land had become valuable.
He further said that despite many status quo orders and express court directions against eviction, officials from the revenue department issued eviction notices – a “heinous act”, he said. The former MLC rejected the government’s claim that the houses were built on the basis of fake documents or illegal plots, which were allegedly discovered during the Bhoodan Board and Revenue Department’s investigation.
The BJP chief demanded that the government rectify its “mistake” by constructing houses for the displaced families at the same site under the Indiramma Housing scheme. He claimed the party would stand with the outcasts against what he called “crowb government” until justice was served.
Farmers’ signatures
In a separate development, BJP deputy leader Payal Shankar announced that the party has decided to launch a mass contact program with farmers, starting from Adilabad, to highlight the demand for taking up the farm insurance scheme from March 7 to 15. The goal is to collect 10 million signatures and present it to the government during the next assembly session.
He criticized the government for not implementing the Centre’s crop insurance scheme despite promising it during the elections. This scheme, he said, was neglected by the BRS government earlier too, he said while addressing a press conference at the BJP state office.
Although the Congress government announced ₹3,000 crore in the first year of the scheme, not a single rupee was released, leaving farmers facing harsh climatic conditions and poor yields without relief. Apart from the cotton farmers who are supported by the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI), others were in dire straits due to pressure from bankers and lack of support from the government.
Published – 01 March 2026 20:48 IST
