Telangana: Bar on Opposition entry into market continues

Khammam: BJP Floor leader G. Kishan Reddy was taken into custody as soon as he stepped out of a hotel after taking his breakfast by the police in Khammam on Friday.

Mr Reddy had planned to go to the chilli market yard and interact with farmers who have been in despair due to the abysmally low prices they are being offered for their chilli crop.

However, the police informed the BJP MLA that Section 144 was in force in the town and no political leader was being allowed to enter the market. When Mr Reddy brushed aside their warning and insisted on reaching the market, he was arrested him and shifted to the Khammam Rural police station.

Hundreds of BJP activists followed him to the police station where they raised slogans against his arrest and demanded his immediate release. Mr Reddy was later released.

He later went to the sub-jail and met the arrested farmers there. Mr Reddy told the farmers that the BJP stood by them and they should not allow themselves to be depressed by the circumstances. He also told them that the government had made a huge mistake by arresting them.

Speaking to the media later, Mr Reddy said that the irrigation minister too made a mistake by criticising the NDA government’s decision to lift 33,000 quintals of chilli.

“The TRS government, instead of coming to the rescue of the chilli farmers, sent them to jail. This shows its love for the farmers. However, the NDA government responded to the issue on its own and announced MIP, something no other earlier government had done,” Mr Reddy said.

“Chilli price issue is confined to one or two states. The Central government has to study all other angles regarding the issue before taking a decision. The TRS government is making false statements against Centre without reason,” he said.

Mr Reddy said that Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has become apprehensive about the future after the Uttar Pradesh elections which the BJP won with a thumping majority. He is worried that the UP result will be repeated in Telangana. Because of this, TRS leaders are levelling irrational allegations at the BJP,” Mr Reddy said.