BRS leaders detained ahead of Parigi visit; Party slams govt

Hyderabad: Tension prevailed in Telangana on Tuesday, April 7, as several Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leaders, including former minister T Harish Rao, were placed under house arrest and prevented from visiting Parigi in Vikarabad district.

According to the BRS, Harish Rao was stopped from leaving his residence, where a large number of police personnel were deployed. Former minister Sabitha Indra Reddy and several leaders from the erstwhile Rangareddy and Vikarabad districts were also reportedly placed under house arrest.

In a related development, former MLA Koppula Mahesh Reddy was arrested earlier, drawing sharp criticism from BRS leaders, who termed the actions “undemocratic” and “illegal.”

KTR slams ‘suppression of dissent’ by Congress

BRS working president KT Rama Rao (KTR) strongly condemned the detentions, accusing the Congress-led state government of suppressing dissent.

He said the leaders were on their way to support farmers protesting against land acquisition for a proposed industrial park in Parigi constituency. The project reportedly involves the acquisition of around 1,200 acres of land in Kadlapur and Rapolu villages.

KTR alleged that preventing opposition leaders from meeting farmers amounted to “murder of democracy,” adding that the government was using police force to silence questioning voices.

Govt forcibly acquiring agri land in Parigi: BRS

The BRS alleged that the government was forcibly acquiring agricultural land under the pretext of industrial development, creating fear among farmers.

“The government has not brought a single major industry in the last two-and-a-half years, nor laid even a single brick, yet it is aggressively pursuing land acquisition,” KTR said.

He further accused ruling party leaders of “looting land like thieves,” and questioned why the government was afraid if it had done nothing wrong.

Demand to halt land acquisition

The party asserted that supporting farmers fighting to protect their lands was its responsibility as an opposition. It also demanded the immediate release of detained leaders and a halt to the land acquisition process.

KTR reiterated that arrests, cases, and jail terms were “not new” to BRS leaders, recalling their role during the Telangana movement.

“Despite threats and repression, our fight for the people will continue,” he said, warning that the party would keep questioning the government on behalf of farmers and the public.