Union Minister and Telangana BJP president G Kishan Reddy, along with fellow party leaders, made headlines yesterday as they initiated a sit-in protest on the road. The leaders were halted by police officers as they attempted to visit a BRS government housing scheme site for the underprivileged.
Reddy expressed his vexation at the halt by sitting on the Outer Ring Road, objecting to the prevention of his team from visiting the housing site. In response to the police commissioner, D S Chauhan, who tried to convince the Union Minister and his party to leave, Reddy retorted, “Am I a criminal? Am I a terrorist? I have a right to go anywhere in India.”
The authorities ultimately resorted to physically lifting Reddy off the road and escorting him to a vehicle.
Reddy’s protest stemmed from his previously announced intent to inspect the state government’s double bedroom housing project at Batasingaram. The police had placed several BJP leaders under “house arrest” earlier in anticipation of this visit, a move Reddy strongly condemned.
The BJP leaders’ actions yesterday reflect escalating tensions over the implementation of government housing schemes for the poor. As the conflict continues, the public and political spheres await the next steps of the parties involved.