Union Minister for Tourism, Culture and Development of Northeast Region, G. Kishan Reddy, also Telangana BJP President, held a sit-in protest on the Outer Ring Road (ORR) in the rain near Tukkuguda near the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Shamshabad, when he was stopped by the police from moving towards Batasingaram where he was to inspect the under-construction two-bedroom houses for the poor on July 20.
Amid high drama the police had obstructed his convoy from proceeding towards the site stating that he does not have the requisite permission for the visit. Mr. Reddy along with party MLA M. Raghunandan Rao, former MLA Ch, Ramachandra Reddy and others sat on the main road even as Rachakonda Police Commissioner D. S. Chauhan tried to persuade him to relent.
“Why did you stop me? I am a Union Minister, do I not have a right to inspect a project site? Is this democracy or a police State? How can you arrest me or my partymen for no reason? We are doing any protest,” he shouted at the police officers. Soon, he was lifted and taken to his official vehicle which was later commandeered by a police official to the BJP party office in Nampally even as scores of other vehicles were in hot pursuit.
