As soon as Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao’s birthday celebrations began on Thursday, the Telangana police swooped down on the homes of Congress leaders - either placing them under house arrest or taking them into custody.
Party president A. Revanth Reddy was arrested by the police as he left to attend a court hearing and later participate in a series of programmes announced to protest the birthday celebrations of the Chief Minister. Even as the Congress workers sat on the road, police chased them away. Mr. Reddy was shifted to a few police stations before taken to the Golkonda police station.
Earlier, Mr. Reddy called for protests on Thursday opposing the birthday celebrations of the Chief Minister when youth and farmers were committing suicide. Police feared that he would participate in the protests leading to law and order issues.
Youth Congress president Shiva Sena Reddy too was placed under house arrest after he announced that birthday celebrations of donkeys would be held to protest the Chief Minister’s birthday celebrations. Mahila Congress chief Sunita Rao, and former Minister Shabbir Ali were placed under house arrest.
Police surrounded Gandhi Bhavan, the Congress party headquarters and were not letting anyone go inside, apart from arresting the leaders heading the party office.
Senior Congress leaders including CLP leader Bhatti Vikramarka; Nalgonda MP, N. Uttam Kumar Redy, former PCC president, Ponnala Lakshmaiah, TPCC working president, J. Geeta Reddy, TPCC campaign committee chairman, Madhu Yaskhi Goud condemned the arrest of Mr. Revanth Reddy. Mr. Bhatti asked whether Chief Minister was going to arrest everyone who questions unemployment issues. “Is it a crime to seek job notifications,” he asked and wanted to know why the Chief Minister is silent on such a burning issue.
In a tweet, AICC incharge for Telangana and MP, Manickam Tagore condemned the arrest and charged that Mr. Rao’s agenda is not of fulfilling the aspirations of youngsters who fought for a separate Telangana.
MLA Seethakka, AICC secretary Sampath Kumar, TPCC working president, Anjan Kumar Yadav also condemned the arrest.
Later in the evening, Mr. Revanth Reddy spoke to the media after he was released and announced that February 17 would be observed as “Unemployed Day” in Telangana every year. When students are dying, how can the CM celebrate birthday for three days, he asked. He resented the police behaviour and said those blindly supporting the TRS government will not be spared when the Congress comes to power.
