Drama Peaks as Kaushik Reddy Turn Belligerent

Hyderabad: The war of words between Kaushik Reddy and Arekapudi Gandhi reached a peak on Thursday with the latter's followers attacking the residence of Kaushik Reddy. Following the attack, the police booked cases against Kaushik Reddy and Gandhi.

It all started on Thursday morning when Kaushik Reddy reiterated his vow to visit Gandhi's residence and offer him a BRS scarf, along with hoisting the BRS flag at his residence in Hyderabad. Police took control of the situation by placing Kaushik Reddy under house arrest and tightening the security at Gandhi's residence.

Kaushik Reddy went on the offensive after Gandhi, who joined ruling Congress from BRS, was recently appointed as the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Telangana Legislature, upon claiming that he continued to be a BRS MLA.

On Wednesday, Kaushik Reddy said he would visit Gandhi's residence and offer him BRS and also hoist the BRS flag at his residence. He said he would reach Gandhi's house at 11 am on Thursday. Kaushik Reddy accused Gandhi of betraying the party by defecting and accepting the post of PAC chairman.

Anticipating confrontation, heavy police forces were deployed outside the homes of both the MLAs. With the police putting Kaushik Reddy under house arrest, he challenged Gandhi to come to the BRS office at Telangana Bhavan, if he was a BRS MLA and later accompany him to meet BRS chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao along with him.

He demanded that Gandhi should resign from the Congress, if he joined the ruling party.

Gandhi said that Kaushik was no competent authority to challenge him. He even accused Kaushik Reddy of instigating a war of words only to grab media attention. He said that if Kaushik Reddy fails to visit him, he will visit Kaushik's residence.

Accordingly, Gandhi and his supporters reached the gated community in Kondapur where Kaushik Reddy lives and sat on a dharna there. However, police intervened and shifted Gandhi to his Kukatpally residence.

A few of Gandhi's supporters, however, managed to enter the premises of Kaushik Reddy’s house and damaged flower pots and plastic chairs and even broke the window panes. They even threw eggs and tomatoes at Kaushik Reddy but he managed to evade them. After the attack, Kaushik Reddy vowed to retaliate with the same intensity against MLA Gandhi.

Following the attack on Kaushik Reddy's residence, BRS MLAs, including T. Harish Rao, Padi Kaushik Reddy, Palla Rajeshwar Reddy, and K.P. Vivekananada, staged a dharna at Cyberabad Police Commissioner on Thursday.

During the dharna, Kaushik Reddy was seen behaving harshly with police officials, including ACPs, at the station by pushing them. The police took them into preventive custody.

The preventive custody of the MLAs and the cadre numbering around 40 was taken to avoid the occurrence of any such incident again, said a police official from Cyberabad.

According to the official, a First Information Report (FIR) was registered at the Shamshabad police station. In turn, notices were served to Serilingampally MLA Arekapudi Gandhi and 29 others from the Congress.

According to sources, notices were served by the Narsingi police station. The Congress MLAs, who were served notices included Arekapudi Gandhi, T Prakash Goud, Kale Yadaiah, and Danam Nagendar. The BRS MLAs, leaders and cadre were shifted to the Kadthal police station for further investigation via Srisailam road.