Hyderabad, Sep 13 (PTI) The war of words between BRS leaders and turncoat MLA Arekapudi Gandhi following legislator P Kaushik Reddy’s verbal attack on Gandhi continued on Friday.
With BRS calling for a meeting on Friday at the residence of Gandhi, who defected to ruling Congress in July this year, police placed Kaushik Reddy and BRS Medchal district president Sambhipur Raju under house arrest to prevent any disturbance to law and order.
Kaushik Reddy and Raju had planned to reach the residence of Gandhi.
The police made tight security arrangements at the residence of Sambhipur Raju as the BRS leaders were expected to gather there before leaving for the meeting at the residence of turncoat MLA Gandhi.
The meeting was a result of a war of words and a scuffle between the supporters of Kaushik Reddy and MLA Gandhi, at the former’s residence here on Thursday which witnessed tense moments.
Kaushik Reddy had earlier said Gandhi had moved to Hyderabad from Andhra Pradesh for livelihood. In response, Gandhi said that Kaushik Reddy was triggering regional differences.
BRS Working President K T Rama Rao on Friday in a statement claimed that his party leaders were put under house arrest across the state.
Speaking to reporters, BRS leader T Harish Rao held Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy responsible for the attack on Kaushik Reddy’s house on Thursday.
Kaushik Reddy clarified that his remarks were directed towards Gandhi and not those from Andhra Pradesh who have settled in Hyderabad.
Gandhi and others were trying to hurt Hyderabad’s image by doing ‘Andhra-Telangana’ politics, Kaushik Reddy alleged.
He further alleged that CM Revanth Reddy was damaging Hyderabad’s brand image by carrying out demolitions in the city and that he has also targeted him.
Gandhi told mediapersons that Kaushik Reddy triggered regional differences (by talking about people of Andhra Pradesh-origin). Gandhi claimed that he and his supporters were attacked with stones and flowerpots at Kaushik Reddy’s residence on Thursday.
Meanwhile, women leaders of Congress met Assembly Speaker G Prasad Kumar and sought disqualification of Kaushik Reddy as MLA.
Kaushik Reddy insulted women by saying that he would send bangles and sarees to MLAs (who switched over from BRS to Congress), state women’s cooperative corporation chairperson B Shobha Rani said.
At a press conference two days ago, Shobha Rani had warned the BRS MLA against his remarks.
Earlier in the day, Telangana DGP Jitender said anyone trying to disturb peace and law and order would be dealt with sternly.
The ruling Congress and BRS sparred on Thursday after a scuffle broke out between the followers of Kaushik Reddy and Gandhi at the former’s residence here.
Mild tension prevailed at the residence of Reddy at Kondapur here on Thursday after Gandhi reached the spot along with his followers in response to the BRS MLA’s challenge that the latter should prove which party he belonged to.
Gandhi’s appointment as Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee of Telangana legislature had irked the K Chandrasekhar Rao-led Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS), which called it a “day-light murder of the Constitution” since it was a tradition to appoint an opposition member as the head of the committee. PTI SJR GDK SJR ROH
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.