BJP workers shout slogans at Nitin Gadkari\'s event

Hyderabad: Slogan-shouting at Union highways minister Nitin Gadkari's programme in Hyderabad to launch national highway projects in the state sparked the TRS' ire on Friday.

BJP workers disrupted the speech of Telangana minister Vemula Prashanth Reddy at the event, Raising slogans of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and "Bharat Mata ki Jai." Prashant Reddy stopped his speech for some time and resumed after the activists quietened down.

The incident occurred in the presence of Union ministers Nitin Gadkari and G. Kishan Reddy and MoS Gen. V.K. Singh (retd).

This is the first time that such an incident occurred in the state at an official event. It comes amid the ongoing war of words between the leaders of TRS and BJP in the state over various issues.

The BJP workers calmed down after Kishan Reddy intervened and repeatedly appealed to them not to raise the slogans at an official programme. Kishan Reddy used the platform to deny that the Centre is discriminating against Telangana. He claimed that Narendra Modi government was committed to the development of all states.

Later, speaking to the media, Prashanth Reddy lashed out at the BJP for turning 'official programme' into a 'BJP programme'. He alleged that the BJP state leaders had set a target for local BJP leaders and corporators to mobilise 3,000 party workers each for the event to obstruct TRS leaders. Prashanth Reddy warned that if the TRS resorted to such 'cheap tactics', no BJP Union minister would be able to hold a programme in the state.

Reddy said he came to the event only to thank Gadkari for sanctioning funds and projects to Telangana and not to talk about politics or raise Modi's 'false promises' of crediting Rs 15 lakh amount in bank accounts of poor people and providing 2 lakh jobs per year if the BJP was voted to power at the Centre in 2014.