War of words between BRS MLA Kaushik Reddy and PAC chairman Arekapudi Gandhi turns violent

Hyderabad: The war of words between Huzurabad BRS MLA Padi Kaushik Reddy and Serlingampally MLA Arekapudi Gandhi reached a peak with the latter's followers attacking the residence of Kaushik Reddy at a gated villa community in Kondapur on Thursday.

Tension mounted as Kaushik Reddy vowed to visit Gandhi and offer him 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 defected from the BRS to the ruling Congress, was recently appointed as the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), 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 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 BRS office at Telagnana 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 that 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. Gandhi said that if the Huzurabad MLA 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.

Meanwhile, a few of Gandhi's supporters managed to enter into Kaushik Reddy house premises and they damaged flower pots and plastic chairs and even broke the window panes. A few of Gandhi's supporters threw egss 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.

Being witness to the whole issue, Telangana BJP official spokesperson NV Subhash criticized both Gandhi and Kaushik Reddy.

He slammed the BRS president and former CM K. Chandrasekhar Rao for failing to make Bangaru Telangana a reality, despite forming a government for 10 years after bifurcation. "Except scams, there had been no growth in the state."

Launching a tirade against Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, Subhash said that the CM has no grip on governance, fiscal deficit and crime control. He is only interested in poaching BRS MLAs, Subhash added.