Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy sparked controversy over his reference to Adolf Hitler while praising the success of the HYDRAA project in the state.
While speaking at an event in Bengaluru, Reddy was asked about the success of the HYDRAA project. In response, he said that no one now dares to encroach on lakes and water bodies.
HYDRAA means Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency. It is a specialized task force established by Reedy in July 2024 to protect state lands, parks and lakes. It is prominently known in the public imagination for carrying out demolitions.
Reddy said the need for such a special force, which employs thousands of retired army officers, arose after he witnessed large-scale encroachments on lakes and water bodies.
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“I can understand the poor people encroaching on lakes and nalas. Nowadays, the rich are also encroaching on water bodies because of their farm houses and connecting their drainage systems to them. I noticed all these problems. Then I decided to create a working group – HYDRAA,” he said at the event.
Controversy erupted when Reddy claimed that the word “HYDRAA” was inspired by Hitler’s core team, which he said was called “Hydra”.
“Hydra is Hitler’s favorite word,” he said. “His core team was called Hydra, which could assassinate anyone. So, I took inspiration from Hitler and called it Hydra.”
Reddy didn’t stop there. While highlighting the work of Hydra, he compared its demolitions to the destruction caused by Israel in other countries, including Iran. Although he did not mention Gaza, Israel carried out several strikes there that destroyed buildings and affected the lives of civilians.
He said: “It was demolished like anything else. If you see the pictures from Iran, you can compare it with Israel or any similar demolitions resulting from the war, and compare it to these demolitions carried out by the Hydra organization.”
Reddy added that people from all over the country are reaching out to him to study HYDRAA and learn from its implementation.
Opposition criticizes Reddy for Hitler references
Reacting to the Telangana CM’s remarks, Union Coal and Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy, in a post on X, said that the “dangerous Hitler-emergency mentality” of the Congress party has once again come into the open.
“Revanth Reddy is now openly boasting that Hitler inspired him to set up HYDRAA and is comparing the demolitions in Hyderabad to those in war-torn regions like Iran and Israel, echoing the language of his leader Rahul Gandhi,” Kishan Reddy said.
He further claimed that “from the Emergency to Hitler, Congress has always silenced people” and demanded that the Prime Minister extend an unconditional apology to the people of Telangana.
BRS, in a post on X, described Revanth Reddy as the “new Hitler” and alleged that homes of thousands of poor people were demolished under his administration.
