BRS MLC Naveen Reddy Vows to Fight Despite Arrest

Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC Naveen Kumar Reddy on Tuesday said the party would continue raising public issues despite the arrests of its leaders amid an escalating political confrontation with the Telangana government.

Reddy, who was arrested following the developments at the Telangana Legislative Assembly on Monday, said the BRS would continue to raise the concerns of people in both the Legislative Council and Assembly.

“No matter how many illegal arrests they make, we will stand on the side of the people,” Reddy said in a statement. He added that the party leadership had asked its leaders to continue fighting for public issues and said the BRS would hold the government led by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy accountable.

Naveen Reddy arrested amid Assembly row

The BRS MLC was taken into custody on Tuesday morning, a day after a confrontation involving BRS legislators and police outside the Assembly premises.

Reports said police arrested Reddy from his residence in Hyderabad. BRS leaders have described the action as part of a wider attempt to restrict opposition legislators from raising issues against the government. 

The circumstances surrounding the arrests have become a fresh point of confrontation between the ruling Congress and the opposition BRS.

BRS condemns arrests of MLCs

Reddy's statement came as the BRS condemned the arrest of fellow party MLC T Madhusudan Rao, popularly known as Tata Madhu.

Police arrested the two BRS MLCs in connection with a case concerning alleged derogatory and abusive remarks against Telangana Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar. According to reports, the case was registered following a complaint by the Speaker's Officer on Special Duty. 

The police action has triggered competing allegations from the two political sides, with the BRS questioning the manner in which its legislators were detained.

BRS alleges political targeting

The opposition party has alleged that police action was being used to prevent its legislators from raising public concerns and challenging the Congress government.

BRS leader T Harish Rao alleged that police, acting on the instructions of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, prevented party MLAs and MLCs from entering the Assembly and used force against them. These allegations have been made by the BRS and have not been independently established. 

Reddy's remarks similarly framed the arrests as an attempt to deter the opposition from continuing its political campaign.

Police case linked to Assembly incident

The arrests are linked to events surrounding a protest by BRS legislators at the Assembly on September 7.

According to the police complaint, BRS leaders allegedly assembled in the security area of the Assembly and made remarks directed at the Speaker. Police registered a case under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Tata Madhu has denied insulting the Speaker, saying that remarks attributed to him were directed at police personnel during the confrontation. 

Political confrontation intensifies

The arrests have added another flashpoint to the continuing Congress-BRS political conflict in Telangana.

For the BRS, the incident has become an opportunity to accuse the Revanth Reddy government of suppressing opposition voices. The ruling side, meanwhile, has maintained that police action relates to the allegations arising from the Assembly incident.

With BRS leaders vowing to continue raising public issues despite the arrests, the dispute is likely to remain a major political issue in Telangana as the Assembly and Legislative Council proceedings continue.