Telangana’s Congress chief, A Revanth Reddy, was apprehended on Tuesday near Gun Park for organizing a gathering without obtaining prior permission from authorities.Reddy had recently challenged Telangana’s Chief Minister, K Chandrasekhar Rao, to pledge at the Martyrs Memorial in Gun Park that his party would not resort to offering inducements like money and liquor to voters during the upcoming Assembly polls on November 30.
Since Reddy did not seek permission from the concerned authorities, and considering the model code of conduct currently in effect, he was taken into custody as a preventive measure due to potential law and order concerns.A senior police official stated, “He (Revanth) was taken into preventive custody and subsequently shifted to Gandhi Bhavan.”
Expressing their discontent with the police action against their state leader, Congress workers chanted, “Stop police brutality,” as Reddy was taken into custody.Reddy’s challenge stemmed from allegations by the opposing party that Congress intended to influence Telangana voters with funds from neighboring Karnataka.
Later, addressing reporters at Gandhi Bhavan, Reddy accused the ruling party of relying on financial resources and the distribution of alcohol to secure victory in the upcoming Legislative Assembly polls.He pointed fingers at several prominent figures, alleging repeated public claims that Congress was trying to sway elections through monetary incentives.
Reddy asserted that it was evident to the people of Telangana that the opposing parties had previously attempted to win Huzurabad and Munugode by-elections through financial means.He emphasized that during the Munugode by-election, liquor sales in the constituency spiked significantly, indicating a questionable practice.
Reddy emphasized that Congress did not engage in such practices during the Munugode by-election, as the party was committed to conducting elections ethically.He contended that it was now apparent that the opposition party was resorting to distributing money and alcohol to secure election victories.
Furthermore, Reddy expressed his disagreement with the police’s decision to apprehend him at the Telangana Martyrs Memorial, asserting that obtaining prior permission from both the police and the election Returning Officer should have been sufficient.
