HYDERABAD: A delegation of BJP MPs, including Etela Rajender, met Union ministers in New Delhi to raise a series of civic and social concerns affecting their constituencies, while also sharply criticising the proposed sale of lands belonging to the University of Hyderabad (HCU).
Speaking to the media on Friday, Etela Rajender said that Safai Karmacharis often die by the age of 40 due to severe health issues. He recalled how Prime Minister Narendra Modi had honoured their service during the COVID-19 pandemic by washing their feet in recognition. Despite such gestures, he noted that there has been undue delay in providing government jobs to the families of deceased sanitation workers.
Rajender also met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to discuss issues related to the MMTS station at Suchitra and other Defence Department-related matters.
Further, he raised key infrastructure issues with the Railway Minister, highlighting the lack of underpasses and railway overbridges in his constituency, which he said was causing severe inconvenience to the public. He also requested a halt for the Vande Bharat Express in the area.
Commenting on Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s promises, Rajender questioned how the state government would implement its commitments. He criticised the selling of lands, including those of HCU, to fulfil budgetary needs, calling it an irrational decision.
He reminded that during Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy’s tenure, the then government projected ₹12,000 crore revenue through land sales in the budget, a move the BJP had opposed at the time. “If grandchildren start selling the lands earned by their forefathers, what message does that send?” he asked.
Rajender asserted that it is wrong for any Chief Minister to sell government lands and that such actions must be opposed. He added that the widespread protests over HCU lands were because they are meant for students, not for commercial purposes.
He further expressed concern over the diminishing green cover in Hyderabad and said that instead of selling land, it should be used for establishing educational institutions and industries.
