Hyderabad, April 7 – Deputy leader of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in the Telangana Legislative Assembly and former minister T. Harish Rao, along with several other party leaders, were placed under house arrest on Tuesday to prevent them from traveling to Parigi in the Vikarabad district, where they were planning to meet farmers affected by the industrial park project.
Former minister Sabitha Indra Reddy and several other leaders from the erstwhile Ranga Reddy and Vikarabad districts were also placed under house arrest.
Police increased security around Harish Rao's house to prevent him from visiting Parigi.
Speaking to the media, Harish Rao condemned the detentions. He questioned why the government was being so apprehensive when they were simply planning a peaceful "dharna" (protest). "Is this the government of the people?" he asked.
Meanwhile, BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao has condemned the house arrest of Harish Rao and other leaders. He described the house arrests and detentions as illegal.
Former MLAs Mahesh Reddy, Narender Reddy, and Menthuku Anand, along with the Vikarabad district president and other leaders, have also been detained.
Rama Rao said that the house arrests and detentions of the leaders who were on their way to stand in solidarity with farmers fighting to protect their land are a cowardly act by the government.
He stated that attempts to suppress dissenting voices through the use of police force amounts to nothing less than the murder of democracy.
Rama Rao strongly condemned the alleged forceful seizure of 1,200 acres of farmers' land in the Kadlapur and Rapolu villages of the Parigi constituency for establishing an industrial park.
Rama Rao alleged that since coming to power, the Revanth Reddy government has disregarded the promises it made to the public and has instead focused on seizing the land of the poor.
He asserted that it is atrocious for a government, which Rama Rao alleges has already subjected farmers to immense hardship by failing to implement schemes such as 'Rythu Bharosa', farm loan waivers, the 'Six Guarantees', and other promises, to now embark on land acquisition drives in the name of industrial development.
Rama Rao claimed that this government has failed to bring in a single industry over the past two-and-a-half years and displays an insatiable appetite for plundering land.
He made it clear that arrests, imprisonment, and fabricated legal cases were nothing new to BRS leaders, noting that they have faced all such adversities since the days of the statehood movement while consistently standing firmly on the side of the people.
He warned that no one would be intimidated by the government's bluster and threats, and that the struggle on behalf of the people would not cease.