Political Showdown in Kamareddy

metro india news  I hyderabad

High tension gripped Kamareddy town on Saturday as workers from the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party clashed outside the camp office of BJP MLA K. Venkataramana Reddy. The incident, stemming from a heated land dispute, led to vandalism, police intervention, and multiple detentions, highlighting escalating political rivalries in the district.

The conflict originated from allegations of land encroachment and corruption involving government degree college lands, Shishu Mandir school, and Aurora College properties. Telangana Government Advisor and Congress leader Mohammed Ali Shabbir accused MLA Reddy of being the "corruption king," claiming he illegally occupied these lands and diverted farmer-collected cess intended for a degree college to a private engineering institution. Shabbir further alleged that Reddy had withdrawn from a previous election after being offered a Congress MLC ticket. 

In response, Reddy vehemently denied the charges, challenging Shabbir and other Congress leaders to a public debate at Shishu Mandir school, challenging Congress to produce evidence and even stating he would take "political sanyas" (renunciation) if proven wrong, even by an inch of discrepancy. He accused opponents of turning the area into a battlefield and threatening him and his family, holding the state government and Chief Minister responsible for any harm.

Congress leaders accepted the debate challenge, scheduling it for 10 AM on Saturday, with representatives from involved institutions and officials expected to attend. However, police denied permission for the event, citing potential law and order issues. To prevent escalation, authorities placed MLA Reddy under house arrest at his residence, barring him from proceeding to the venue.

Despite these measures, a large number of Congress and BJP workers gathered at Reddy's camp office, raising slogans against each other. Congress functionaries, led by former sarpanch and leader G Mahender Reddy, attempted to lay siege to the office, chanting "Down with MLA." In retaliation, BJP cadres allegedly attacked Mahender Reddy's vehicle with boulders, smashing its windshields and mirrors, overturning it, and attempting to set it on fire. The chaos prompted immediate police action, with forces dispersing the agitators and deploying additional personnel across the town to maintain order.

Kamareddy Superintendent of Police Rajesh Chandra confirmed that several individuals were detained, including Mahender Reddy, who was taken to the police station, and arrests are ongoing. No injuries were reported, but the incident has raised concerns about political violence in the region, especially following recent municipal elections where Congress secured the most seats in a hung council, with support from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).

BJP Telangana President N. Ramchander Rao condemned the "ghastly attack" by Congress workers on Reddy's camp office via a post on X, calling it shocking and undemocratic. He pledged to visit the site personally to support BJP karyakartas and assess the situation. Shabbir Ali, meanwhile, urged workers from both parties to set aside differences and collaborate for Kamareddy's development, requesting Rs. 300 crore from Chief Minister Revanth Reddy for infrastructure projects, including resolving drinking water issues by March end.