It was a day of drama and action with the police putting the Congress leaders under house arrest in the morning followed by defiant senior Congress leaders coming out of their homes to reach the Vidyut Soudha overcoming the barricades and scuffles with the police en route.
On Thursday the Telangana Congress called for laying siege to the Vidyut Soudha against the increased power charges and also the Civil Supplies Department, and questioned the government’s reluctance to procure paddy from the farmers this season.
A posse of policemen surrounded the residence of Telangana Congress chief, A. Revanth Reddy blocking all the roads leading to his residence in Banjara Hills. Similar obstacles were created at the residences of important leaders to ensure that they don’t reach the Vidyut Soudha even as hundreds of Congress workers dropped in batches at the protest site to maintain the heat.
Tension prevailed at Mr. Reddy’s residence but a large group of Congress workers covered him as he came out. After a few arguments and scuffles police allowed him to reach the Indira Gandhi statue on Necklace road where all the senior leaders including CLP leader Bhatti Vikramarka; Manthani MLA, D. Sreedhar Babu; MLC T. Jeevan Reddy, Anjan Kumar Yadav, Madhu Yaskhi Goud and Youth Congress chief Shivasena Reddy and NSUI president, Balmoori Venkat were waiting.
The plan was to lead a rally to Vidyut Soudha from there but the police put up barricades forcing the Congress leaders to jump over them with the help of Congress workers. After some arguments, they were allowed to proceed but again were stopped at Vidyut Soudha. An infuriated Revanth Reddy jumped over the barricades again and so did the other leaders to protest at the Vidyut Soudha main gate.
Later, a team of Congress leaders were allowed to meet the TRANSCO and GENCO Managing Director, Prabhakar Rao to submit a memorandum seeking withdrawal of increased power charges. Senior leaders Mallu Ravi, M. Vinod Reddy and Anil Yadav also joined the team.
A tense situation prevailed for over two hours as the police continued to resist the leaders. Mr. Reddy condemned the police behaviour questioning their sincerity. “How can TRS leaders including Ministers block roads for hours while the Congress leaders were not allowed to sit on a protest,” Mr. Reddy asked. But the police officials couldn’t come up with any convincing answers.
Earlier, groups of Congressmen led by Mahila Congress chief Sunita Rao, Youth leaders Manavata Roy, TPCC SC department chief Preetham and Bakka Judson, Fisheries Congress Chairman, Mettu Sai Kumar continued to drop in batches to protest even as the large number of policemen posted at Vidyut Soudha arrested them and shifted to various police stations.
Later, speaking to the media Mr Revanth Reddy asked why was Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao preventing Congress to protest against the fuel charges hike. It only shows the collusion of TRS and the BJP and their plan to loot people. “KCR is active in arresting Congress leaders protesting against the drug culture and also rising fuel prices,” he alleged.
On the paddy issue, he said the TRS leadership has colluded with the rice millers and forcing the farmers to sell paddy at a low rate and collecting money from the rice millers leaving the farmers to their fate.
