Hyderabad: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) staged a protest in the Assembly on Thursday, August 1, against the chief minister’s remarks on the party’s women MLAs P Sabitha Indra Reddy and Sunita Laxman Reddy the previous day.
Burning effigies and protesting across the streets, BRS party workers demanded an apology from CM Revanth Reddy.
In a video which has gone viral, BRS working president KT Rama Rao (KTR) is seen forcibly taken into preventive custody after he protested against the Congress government. Several other BRS MLAs were also detained.
KTR demanded that Revanth apologize to women immediately and alleged that the latter spoke inappropriately and disrespectfully towards two legislators of BRS.
The statewide protest is being held in all district and mandal headquarters. Meanwhile, in Hyderabad BRS MLAs arrived at the Assembly wearing a black badge while the two women legislators, Sabitha Reddy and Sunit Laxman Reddy, wore black sarees as a mark of protest.
Former minister and senior BRS leader P Harish Rao was also taken into preventive custody. “During Revanth’s rule, democracy in the state was completely destroyed. If a woman is wronged in the Assembly, democracy is being strangled by not giving the mic. Even in the Telangana movement, there are no such restrictions.. The entire state has turned into a police state,” he told reporters.
What did Revanth say?
On Wednesday, all hell broke loose after CM Revanth Reddy “advised” KTR that if the latter believed in his elder sisters sitting behind him, he would end up at the Jubilee Bus Station.
The two women sitting behind KTR were former ministers Sabitha Indra Reddy and Sunitha Laxma Reddy.
“After sailing on our side, they dumped us and joined the other side,” CM Revanth said, criticising KTR for questioning why Congress didn’t have a minister from the minority community in his cabinet.
The remarks were made when the chief minister was replying to KTR on the Budget Appropriation Bill.
Sabitha Indra Reddy’s outburst
In an emotional outburst, Sabitha accused Revanth of repeatedly targeting her during every Assembly session.
“It was I as an elder sister who had invited Revanth Reddy to join Congress. I had told him that he had a bright future in the party and even told him that he will one day become the chief minister. But why is he repeatedly targeting me,” she questioned, in a crackling tone, demanding the chief minister withdraw his statements.
