Kishan held during 24-hr hunger strike against BRS

Hyderabad: Union minister and state BJP president G. Kishan Reddy was arrested by the Telangana police on Wednesday evening during his 24-hour hunger strike at Dharna Chowk near Indira Park to protest the BRS government’s alleged failures in keeping promises to the unemployed.

Kishan Reddy, who began his fast at 11 am, was taken into custody by the police around 8 pm, with the police saying that permission for the protest was only till 6 pm.

Amid a lot of push-and-pull between a large number of police personnel and BJP workers, Kishan Reddy was physically lifted from the location and taken to the BJP state headquarters in Nampally, where he continued his protest.

Kishan Reddy, while being taken into custody by the police, fainted, causing serious concern among the BJP workers and the police. As soon as he was dropped off at the party office, he underwent a medical check-up.

The BJP, in a statement, said that doctors found Kishan Reddy to have
suffered a serious blow to his chest, with several scratches on his body
from the nails of those who handled him. The doctors recommended a chest X-ray, but Kishan Reddy declared that nothing would stop him from continuing his 24-hour fast protest against the BRS government.

Kishan Reddy’s arrest was roundly condemned by senior BJP leaders, including party national general secretary Tarun Chugh, who said: “KCR was frustrated by the success of Kishan Reddy’s protest and that is why he used brute police force to disrupt the protest.”

Also condemning the arrest were Bandi Sanjay Kumar, party national
vice-president D.K. Aruna and chief spokesperson N.V. Subhash. Many party leaders joined Kishan Reddy at the party office late at night in solidarity with his protest.

Earlier in the day, at Indira Park, Kishan Reddy declared the BJP it will
not rest until justice is done to the unemployed in the state. He said: “The unemployed were cheated by Chief Minister KCR who did not keep his promise of monthly unemployment allowance, and then played with the lives of 35 lakh youth cancelling Group I exam.”

Kishan Reddy said: “The unemployed are in dire straits in Telangana; many are not in a position to feed themselves. Our protest is in solidarity with the unemployed and job seekers in Telangana who were neglected by the KCR government over the past nine years.”

He said: “Chief Minister KCR should be ashamed. Lakhs of youth mortgaged what little gold their families had, spent every penny they could muster, spent days without food to prepare for the exams and you betrayed them. And what happened to your promise of '3,016 unemployment allowance?”

“Not just the youth of Telangana; KCR’s victims include teachers, and
government employees who do not get salaries on time. KCR promised there will be no contract employees but recently a home guard on contract service, Ravinder, committed suicide because he was not getting salary. The responsibility for Ravinder’s death rests on KCR,” Kishan Reddy said.

Bandi Sanjay said: “If youth of Telangana want employment opportunities and jobs, they should support and vote for the BJP as it is only the BJP that can achieve this.”

Nizamabad MP Arvind Dharmapuri said: “It will be the BJP that will form the next government under PM Modi’s guidance and direction, and Kishan Reddy’s leadership. And after this happens, the government should consider the case of those who have been age-barred from recruitment because of BRS government’s failures. In 2014, the unemployment rate in Telangana was 2.4 per cent, which, today, stands at 9.3 per cent.”

Aruna said: “KCR exploited the unemployed during the statehood movement and has now abandoned them. Those without jobs who were promised employment by KCR are still unemployed. How long can be keep cheating the people? The time has come to put an end to his and BRS rule.”

Joining Kishan Reddy were former MPs Konda Vishweshwar Reddy and Dr Boora Narasaiah Goud, and former MLAs N.V.S.S. Prabhakar, Chintala Ramachandra Reddy.