Telangana CM Revanth Reddy's HYDRAA Inspiration Sparks Controversy

Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has stirred up a controversy, saying the name for the Hyderabad Disaster Response Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) was inspired by Adolf Hitler’s favourite word, ‘HYDRA.’ Speaking at a Bengaluru event titled ‘ The Hindu’s Huddle: India in Dialogue ,’ with veteran journalist N Ram, the chief minister said, “Hitler’s favourite word was HYDRA. His core team was called HYDRA, meaning, ‘who can assassinate anyone.’ Inspired by him, I named an organisation headed by a senior IPS officer, and 3,000 retired defence officers.” “…poor people encroaching on lakes and nalas, I can understand. Nowadays, rich people are encroaching the water bodies for their farmhouses and connecting their drainage to it. After a detailed analysis, I decided to establish one task force – HYDRAA ,” he said. Revanth further went on to compare HYDRAA’s demolition drive to the ongoing conflicts between Iran and Israel. The Congress government established HYDRAA in July 2024 to protect government assets, such as lakes, from encroachments and other illegal activities. The agency has been carrying out operations to remove encroachments and has demolished several alleged illegal structures. In doing so, it has faced judicial scrutiny from the Telangana High Court over allegations of selective demolitions. His statement has drawn strong reactions from Opposition leaders, mainly the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP ). BRS working president KT Rama Rao ( KTR ), who was the former municipal minister during his father, K Chandrashekar Rao’s (KCR) tenure, made a jibe at him, thanking the chief minister for “clarifying to the entire nation.” “Your inspiration is Hitler! Your assassination agency is HYDRAA! You worship dictators and brag about demolitions. Of course, people of Telangana knew. So, we modelled our governance on Dr BR Ambedkar’s Constitution, Mahatma Gandhi’s vision, and Professor Jayashankar’s dream,” his X post read. His party called Revanth Reddy the “new Hitler,” alleging homes of lakhs of poor were “demolished.” BRS leader Krishank went a step ahead and morphed the German dictator and Revanth’s photo together Meanwhile, Siddipet MLA Harish Rao drew a comparison between Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and Adolf Hitler, saying that just like Germany apologises for Hitler even today, Congress too will have to apologise for Revanth’s “sins”. Union Coal and Mines Minister and Secunderabad Cantt MP G Kishan Reddy demanded an unconditional apology from the chief minister. “Revanth Reddy, now openly boasting that Hitler inspired him to create HYDRAA and is comparing his demolitions in Hyderabad to those in war-torn countries like Iran and Israel, echoing his leader Rahul Gandhi’s language,” Reddy X post read. “From Emergency to Hitler – Congress has always muzzled people,” he said. Speaking to PTI, Telangana BJP chief N Ramchander Rao said CM Revanth has an “assassin mentality.” “In Hindi, there is a saying, ‘ Jo Hitler ki chaal chalega, woh Hitler ki maut marega (Those who follow Hitler will meet with the same fate as his)’ Rao alleged that if the Congress government repeatedly fails to address people’s issues, they would be evicted from the state.