Hyderabad News | BRS legislators protesting against attack on party MLA arrested

Hyderabad: The main opposition BRS leaders including former Ministers T Harish Rao and Vemula Prashanth Reddy, were arrested when they were staging a protest against an attack on Huzurabad MLA Padi Kaushik Reddy at his residence allegedly by Telangana’s ruling Congress workers, on Thursday evening.

In the morning, tensions prevailed as Kaushik Reddy and Serlingampally MLA Arekapudi Gandhi indulged in a war of words, with the former vowing to visit the latter and offer him BRS scarf as well as hoist BRS flag on the latter’s residence in Hyderabad.

While the police placed Kaushik Reddy under house arrest at a gated villa community in Kondapur, police tightened security at the residence of Gandhi.

Gandhi who recently defected from the BRS to the ruling Congress, had justified the Assembly Speaker’s decision to appoint him as the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), claiming that he continued to be a BRS MLA.

In response, Kaushik Reddy on Wednesday announced that he would visit Gandhi’s house to offer him a BRS scarf and hoist the BRS party flag on top of his residence.

He announced that he would reach Gandhi’s house at 11 am on Thursday and offer him the scarf.

He accused the Serlingampally MLA of betraying the party by defecting and accepting the post of PAC chairman.

In anticipation of a confrontation, a heavy police force was deployed outside both legislators’ homes. Kaushik Reddy was placed under house arrest to prevent the situation from escalating.

As the police did not allow him to leave, Kaushik Reddy challenged Gandhi to come to the BRS office at Telangana Bhavan, if he was a BRS MLA and later accompany him to meet the party chief K Chandrashekhar Rao. “But if he had joined the Congress, he must resign immediately,” he demanded.

Reacting to Kaushik Reddy’s challenge, Gandhi questioned the former’s competence to challenge a senior legislator like him.

He accused Kaushik Reddy of instigating a war of words only to grab media attention. He announced that if the Huzurabad MLA fails to visit him, he will visit the latter’s residence.

Later, the Serlingampally MLA and his supporters went to the gated community in Kondapur where Kaushik Reddy lives and sought to meet him. However, as the police stopped them outside the gated community, Gandhi and his supporters staged a sit-in on the roadside.

The police managed to bring the situation under control and shifted MLA Gandhi from the location to his residence in Kukatpally.

However, a few of Gandhi’s supporters managed to enter the gated community and indulged in fist fight with the BRS cadre who were waiting at the residence of Kaushik Reddy.

Besides damaging properties in front of BRS MLA’s residence, the supports are also pelted stones at the residence of Kaushik Reddy.

Learning about the attack, senior BRS leaders, including Harish Rao, P Sabitha Indra Reddy and Prashanth Reddy rushed to Kaushik Reddy’s residence, before heading to the Cyberabad Police Commissioner’s office, demanding action against the police officials who failed to prevent the attack and also called for the arrest of Gandhi and his supporters.

When they tried to meet Commissioner Avinash Mohanty, the security personnel stopped them.

Later, the leaders staged a protest demanding stringent action against the local ACP and Inspector who failed to protect Kaushik Reddy from being attacked.

The police then arrested and shifted the protesting BRS MLAs and leaders into a bus, reportedly to Kalvakurthi.

Strongly condemning the attack on BRS MLA Padi Kaushik Reddy and accusing the congress of instigating violence, BRS working President K T Rama Rao (KTR) said the situation in the State is being reduced to factionalism and rowdyism.

In a statement, Rama Rao held Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy responsible for the planned assault. He said the Congress government has been targeting Kaushik Reddy for questioning its failures and fighting legal battles against defected MLAs.

He said the attack has been carried out with the full cooperation of both the police and the government, with the aim to intimidate the BRS legislator through illegal cases and assasination attempts.

KTR demanded the immediate arrest of those responsible for the attack.

The BRS would continue to fight against the anarchy and question the Congress, he added.