Vikramarka: I asked KCR for an appointment. He put me under house arrest

Hyderabad: Leaders of opposition parties have criticised Telangana chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao for denying them an appointment to discuss people’s problems.

Instead of giving appointment, the state government is placing opposition leaders under house arrest or taking them into preventive custody by using the police force, they said.

Citing several instances wherein they were detained in their houses, the leaders of opposition parties said seeking an appointment with the chief minister is not a crime and they have a right to raise public issues.

They also said that when the chief minister does not give an appointment to discuss people’s problems, then they have every right to register their protest by way of rallies or dharnas.

Congress Legislature Party leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka on Thursday was annoyed by police keeping him under his house arrest said “seeking an appointment to discuss public issues is not a crime. The state government is not allowing me to deliver my duty as a legislator. I have the right to speak on public issues.”

He pointed out that there are several issues including disparities in the implementation of the Rythu Bandhu scheme, the power bills problem and announcing of special package for COVID-19 patients.

In fact, being an opposition party leader I wanted to take these issues to the notice of the chief minister and sought an official appointment but instead of giving an appointment they sent the police to my home and kept me under house arrest,” he added.

Former minister Mohammed Ali Shabbir also condemned the house arrest of senior leaders Congress in view of the Chalo Secretariat call given by the Congress party to protest against the ineffective handling of the COVID-19 situation by chief minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao and inflated electricity bills.

He said “freedom of expression is a fundamental right given by the Constitution. By placing the opposition leaders under house arrest, the KCR Government is trying to suppress their voice. Everyone has a right to express his/her views freely in a democratic manner. However, by keeping the leaders confined to their homes, TRS government has unleashed a new era of dictatorship. This is totally undemocratic and we will wage a battle to restore democracy in Telangana."

BJP state president Bandi Sanjay Kumar said chief minister is afraid of answering issues raised by the opposition. He criticised that KCR is not only denying appointments, he is even using the police force to throttle the voice of the opposition, which is not at all acceptable in a healthy democracy.

He reminded that after KCR came into power he tried to whisk away Dharna Chowk from Indira Park in city which is a dais for the people’s voice against the anti-government policies since decades, but with the intervention of the High Court he was not succeeded.