Congress protests against fule, power tariff hike

HYDERABAD: TPCC president A. Revanth Reddy, CLP leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and senior Congress leaders were placed under house arrest on Thursday to prevent them from protesting against the hike in power tariff and delay in paddy procurement.

The TPCC had given a call for laying siege to Vidyut Soudha, the headquarters of the power generation and transmission corporations Genco and Transco, to lodge their protest over the recent hike in power tariff. The party had also planned to hold protests at the civil supplies office to demand that the state government and the Centre procure paddy.

Police in large numbers were deployed at the residence of Revanth Reddy, Mallu Bhatti, Mohammad Ali Shabbir, Mallu Ravi, Dasoju Sravan, Harkara Venugopal and others to prevent them from leaving home.

After the protest time had passed, the police allowed the Congress leaders to leave home. The Congress leaders gathered at the Indira Gandhi statue on Necklace Road.

Revanth Reddy, Mallu Bhatti, MLA D. Sridhar Babu, MLC T. Jeevan Reddy and other leaders then proceed to Vidyut Soudha, where they staged a sit-in. Police set up barricades on near Khairatabad flyover to prevent the entry of Congress leaders. Revanth Reddy scaled the barricades with the help of party activists and proceeded towards Vidyut Soudha. There was tension when Mahila Congress activists tried to enter the office complex.

In a melee, Mahila Congress activist Vidya Reddy sustained injuries and was shifted to NIMS. Police permitted eight leaders to meet the Transco and Genco CMD D. Prabhakar Rao. Revanth Reddy, Mallu Bhatti, Sridhar Babu, Jeevan Reddy, senior leaders Mallu Ravi, A. Maheshwar Reddy, Anvesh Reddy, Vinod Reddy met CMD and urged to rollback the power tariff.

On the other hand, police arrested several leaders and shifted them to the nearest police stations. Congress leaders raised slogans against TRS and BJP governments and demanded immediate rollback of power tariff and fuel prices.