Hyderabad: Several Bharat Rashtra Samithi Vidyarthi (BRSV) leaders were detained by the police across the state amid the ongoing Assembly session, as Congress fears that they may lay siege to Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s residence over student issues, BRS claimed on Thursday, September 10.
“Arrests have been carried out by the police since midnight, in a manner reminiscent of Emergency rule. The cowardly Congress government, unable to govern, is suppressing the voices of opposition parties that question its administration.” BRS stated in a post on X.
Leaders, including BRSV state vice president Thunga Balu (also known as Tunga Babu) and leader Narsing, were allegedly detained at 2 am while president Gellu Srinivas was put under house arrest.
Leaders claim they had not called for any protest
“In this state, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, acting as the state Home Minister, keeping the police under his control, is illegally arresting people from midnight, from 2 am, and bringing them to the police station.” Tunga Babu said in a video statement.
“Even though no one has called for any protest program today, they are saying there is a siege of the assembly. Even without anyone calling for a program, they are arresting people today. The Chief Minister and Home Minister should at least think for once about what is happening in the state today,” he added.
BRS leaders question police being used to suppress Opposition
BRSV leader Narsing alleged that police arrested him from his home at around 2:30 am despite the party not having called for any protest.
“The police came in plainclothes. They said they had received a call from above and asked me to come with them,” he said.
“Revanth Reddy, I am asking you, how many days will you rule using your police authority?” Narsing added.
BRSV president Gellu Srinivas, who was placed under house arrest, alleged that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy was “scared of those who question him”.
“Despite being in the position of Chief Minister, he is in a state where he cannot distinguish between what is true and what is a lie,” Srinivas said.
He also criticised the suspension of all BRS legislators for the entire Assembly session.
“Yesterday, all our party legislators were suspended for the entire session. In a democratic system, even in undivided Andhra Pradesh, or during such a massive Telangana movement, there is no history of suspending BRS or TRS MLAs from the entire House right at the very beginning,” he said.
Congress fears BRS will raise its failures in Assembly: Gellu Srinivas
Srinivas alleged that the Congress government suspended BRS MLAs fearing they would raise several issues in the Assembly.
He said the MLAs would have questioned the government over student issues, the promise to fill over two lakh government jobs, and the Rs 5 lakh bank guarantee promised to every student under the Vidya Nidhi scheme.
“They would also question when the Rs 4,000 unemployment allowance would be given to the unemployed,” he said.
Srinivas further alleged that BRS MLAs would have raised allegations that Congress leaders were “illegally keeping and looting lands” across the state under 22A.
“Fearing all this, they preemptively suspended all our party MLAs for the entire session,” he alleged.
Srinivas also recalled the Chief Minister’s earlier statement that anyone could question him and that he welcomed democratic criticism.
“Didn’t the Chief Minister say that anyone can question him anytime, that there is freedom, that they can do it democratically, and that he welcomes it?” he asked.
“We are questioning the Chief Minister today: is sending police to our homes like this and troubling family members what you meant?” Srinivas said.
He demanded that Revanth Reddy resign, alleging that the chief minister was unable to answer questions from the people.
“Such a fearful Chief Minister, a Chief Minister who cannot answer the people, should immediately resign and admit his mistakes,” he remarked.
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