New Delhi: Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy on Sunday justified the demolition of the N-Convention Centre, co-owned by actor Nagarjuna Akkineni, claiming that it aligns with the principles of Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita.
Reddy, addressing a gathering of the Hare Krishna Movement, stated that the demolition of illegal structures encroaching on lakes is a necessary act to uphold “dharma” and combat “adharma,” drawing parallels with the epic battle of Kurukshetra. He cited Lord Krishna’s teachings to Arjuna, who hesitated to fight his own kin, emphasising that the greater good necessitates action, even if it means confronting those close to you.
“Arjuna had wanted to back out from the war, saying what is the point if I have to kill my own? But Krishna says for the larger good, for dharma to win over adharma, you must fight. That is what I am trying to do, going ahead with demolitions to save lakes though I know I will upset many people who can impact my government adversely,” Reddy said as reported by NDTV.
Through the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Monitoring and Protection (HYDRAA) agency, the Congress government in the state has launched a demolition drive against the structures built on encroached lake lands. The N-Convention Centre, alleged to be built on the Tammidikunta Lake, was among those demolished. The demolition was stopped after the Telangana High Court’s stay order on the demolition.
Nagarjuna condemned the move, calling it unlawful, and stated he would have demolished the structure himself if the court had ruled against him. The properties of Congress leaders Pallam Raju and Danam Nagender have already been brought down by HYDRA during the ongoing demolition drive in the state.
The N-Convention is built in the FTL /Buffer zone and has no building permission, a government release had said. While the government maintains that the N-Convention Centre was built without permission and in a buffer zone, the opposition has accused the Congress of using the demolitions as a political weapon, targeting opposition leaders and pressuring them to join the party.
