Thiruvananthapuram: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has strongly criticised Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s remarks allegedly linking the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Protection Agency (HYDRAA) to dictator Adolf Hitler, terming them “shocking” and “incompatible with democratic values”.
Vijayan’s Social Media Post
In a social media post, opposition leader Pinarayi Vijayan alleged that Reddy had publicly stated that the name HYDRAA, the agency established to address encroachments and illegal constructions in Telangana, was inspired by Hitler. Vijayan claimed that the Telangana CM had referred to ‘Hydra’ as one of Hitler’s favourite terms and cited it as an inspiration for creating a mechanism capable of taking stringent action against violators. Such remarks, he said, were unacceptable from the head of a democratically elected government.
Reflection of Political Outlook
The former Kerala CM alleged that the comments could not be dismissed as a mere slip of the tongue and reflected a deeper political outlook. He argued that the remarks raised questions about the Congress party’s commitment to democratic values and echoed what he described as the party’s historical record during the Emergency period. Vijayan also linked the controversy to Reddy’s earlier association with organisations aligned with the Sangh Parivar, alleging that such views continued to find acceptance within the Congress. The episode underscored the Left’s long-standing contention that the Congress would be unable to effectively counter the ideological positions of the BJP and RSS, he added.
Call for Vigilance
Calling on citizens to remain vigilant, Vijayan said the controversy highlighted the dangers of normalising authoritarian and fascist references in public discourse. He urged the public to reject such comparisons and uphold democratic principles.
