3 min readUpdated: Jun 8, 2026 03:15 AM IST
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has triggered a controversy with his statement that the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) drew its name and concept from German dictator Adolf Hitler’s “fondness for the word Hydra”.
“Hydra, the word is Hitler’s favourite word. His core team was called Hydra, which could assassinate anyone. So, I have taken inspiration from Hitler and named it HYDRAA,” he said at a conclave in Bengaluru on Saturday.
The BJP and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) were quick to criticise the Congress leader’s comment, suggesting that this was an indication of his “dictatorial” mindset.
While HYDRAA’s role in demolishing encroachments in Hyderabad has been controversial, Reddy defended its record at the conclave, saying it was protecting lakes and safeguarding government lands, and suggested that the model should be replicated in other cities. He said major cities like Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, and Delhi need dedicated solutions to tackle environmental challenges, flooding, and illegal encroachments.
However, picking up on the CM’s reference to Hitler, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla accused Reddy asked if senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, would take action against him.
In a post on X, Poonawalla wrote, “Revanth Reddy is now openly boasting that Hitler inspired him to create HYDRAA. This is Congress’s tanashahi mindset. From Indira’s Emergency to Revanth’s crackdown on journalists and students.”
Union minister and Secunderabad BJP MP G Kishan Reddy, in a post on X, also referenced the Emergency and alleged that the Congress has “always muzzled people of the country”. Reddy wrote, “Congress’s dangerous Hitler, Emergency mindset is out in the open yet again. Revanth Reddy is 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.” Kishan Reddy demanded an unconditional apology from the Congress and Revanth Reddy.
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Earlier this year, the Telangana High Court had expressed strong displeasure over the functioning of HYDRAA, comparing its recent demolition activities to a “war-like situation” which “cannot be countenanced”.
The High Court in April ordered a status quo on the subject property and issued a stern directive restricting HYDRAA’s future activities. The action came in a case pertaining to the demolition of a century-old structure by HYDRAA on farmland owned by the 98-year-old petitioner, M A Shareef.
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