Congress made 420 promises before the elections, including six guarantees, which include 13 sub-guarantees. Notably, there has been no mention of the Musi River project in these promises. However, within six months, before any significant action was taken on the guarantees, the Musi Beautification Project suddenly emerged, carrying a staggering budget of over Rs. 1.5 lakh crore. To put this in perspective, no country in the world has invested such an exorbitant amount on a river beautification project.
While none of the six guarantees have seen meaningful progress, demolitions have already begun in the name of the Musi project. No comprehensive surveys have been conducted regarding the six guarantees, and there is no clear indication of how or when they will be implemented. Despite this, there are frequent reviews of the Musi project, while the government has been silent on the progress of the guarantees.
The lack of funds for implementing the six guarantees, which also require large sums of money, raises serious concerns. It is unclear what became of the data collected by the government to roll out these guarantees. But, the Musi beautification project has somehow taken precedence, seemingly at the expense of all other pressing issues, schemes, and public welfare programs. This sudden focus on the Musi River begs the question: why now?
What’s even more perplexing is the silence of Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, who had promised to be the guarantors of these six guarantees. Even as the Musi project sparks controversy, their focus remains elsewhere.
What is the rush? What is the logic behind pushing the Musi project so aggressively? Some are questioning if the project is being influenced by the dubious legacies of leaders like Chandrababu Naidu. Historical patterns suggest this might be true.
Although Revanth Reddy claims the Musi project is his brainchild, supporters of former MP KVP Ramchander Rao maintain it was actually YS Rajashekar Reddy’s vision. But history tells a different story. The idea of relocating the poor from the Musi riverbanks and transforming the area into a commercial hub actually traces back to Chandrababu Naidu when he served as Chief Minister. His project, named Nandanavanam, emphasized beautification over addressing the real issue—cleaning the polluted river.
Today, Revanth Reddy follows a similar path. Instead of focusing on cleaning the Musi River, his priority seems to be relocating poor communities, similar to what Chandrababu did decades ago. Then, the displaced poor were relocated to a housing complex called Nandanavanam near Kharmanghat. Now, Revanth is similarly filling the double-bedroom houses constructed during KCR’s administration for the poor.
The similarities don’t stop there. Chandrababu faced corruption allegations related to the Nandanavanam project, and now Revanth’s Musi Riverfront project is being tainted with accusations of large-scale corruption. These parallels extend even further with the involvement of the same consultancy firm—Meinhardt from Singapore—that was responsible for the ill-fated Amaravati project. This company, which had formed close ties with Chandrababu Naidu, is now reportedly advising on the Musi project as well. A government order (G.O) to this effect was issued secretly just last Friday.
Is this all a mere coincidence? Even after 25 years, we seem to be witnessing a repeat of the same mistakes, with the Musi project following the path laid out by Chandrababu. The involvement of the same consultancy firm only deepens the sense of déjà vu. What does this mean for Telangana, and where does the Congress party truly stand on the promises it made?