Congress leaders’ ‘Dallas’ comment angers GHMC Commissioner, protest follows

Congress leaders protest at the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation seeking financial assistance for flood-affected people in Hyderabad

Congress leaders former PCC chief V. Hanumantha Rao, former MPs Mallu Ravi and Anjan Kumar Yadav, former MLA Kodanda Reddy, DCC presidents Anil Yadav and Rohin Reddy, TPCC vice-president Chalama Kiran Reddy, Khairatabad corporator Vijaya Reddy staged a protest at Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) office seeking apology from Commissioner Ronald Ross for allegedly ‘insulting’ them.

The Congress leaders led a huge rally from Gun Park to GHMC office on Friday demanding the government to take swift action in flood-affected areas of the city and extend financial assistance of ₹10,000 per family in areas marooned in flood waters.

An exchange of words took place when the Congress leaders met the Commissioner. One of them apparently asked what happened to the promise of turning the city into Dallas and the Commissioner took objection to it and walked away saying he was not a politician but an officer. The Congress leaders were referring to Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s statement a few years ago that Hyderabad would be developed like Dallas in the USA.

As the Commissioner left the room, the Congress leaders felt humiliated and sat down in the hall itself seeking an apology from him for his ‘objectionable’ behaviour. As the police tried to vacate them, Mr. Hanumantha Rao laid down on the floor refusing to go with the police and asking the Commissioner to come and receive the memorandum.

Later, Mr. Ronald Ross received the memorandum and assured them that the GHMC was doing its best to mitigate the problems.

Later, addressing a press conference, Mr. Hanumantha Rao and Mr. Kodanda Reddy said that Hyderabad has turned worse with the city unable to take a few normal showers in monsoon. Mr. Kodanda Reddy alleged that the lack of preparedness on the part of the government was clearly visible.

At a separate press conference, Mallu Ravi and Anjan Kumar Yadav said that the GHMC Commissioner took objection to their comments comparing the city to Dallas and questioned why was the Commissioner offended by it. They said that he was requested to supply essential commodities to the families severely affected.