Telangana Congress chief Revanth Reddy put in preventive custody over gathering challenging BRS chief

Hyderabad: Telangana Congress president A Revanth Reddy was on Tuesday taken into preventive custody near Gun Park here after he reached there along with party cadres without obtaining prior permission from authorities. Revanth Reddy had recently challenged Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) president and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to come to the Martyrs Memorial in Gun Park and swear that his party would seek votes without inducements, such as offering money and liquor to voters during the November 30 Assembly polls.

As Revanth Reddy did not obtain permission from the authorities concerned and because the model code of conduct is in force, he was taken into preventive custody citing possible law and order issues. "He (Revanth) was taken into preventive custody and subsequently shifted to Gandhi Bhavan," a senior police official told PTI. Protesting the police action against their state unit chief, Congress workers raised the slogan, "Police julm bandh karo", as police took Revanth Reddy into preventive custody. The PCC president threw the "challenge" at CM KCR in the wake of allegations by BRS that Congress would pump in money from Karnataka to lure the voters in Telangana. Later, talking to reporters at Gandhi Bhavan, Revanth Reddy alleged that ruling BRS is banking on money power and distribution of liquor to win the November 30 Legislative Assembly polls.

"Harish Rao, Taraka Rama Rao, Kalvakuntla Chandrasekhar Rao (CM KCR) are making serious allegations against Congress that money is coming from neighbouring states. They spoke repeatedly in public meetings that Congress is trying to win elections by distributing money and liquor," he told reporters. It is clear to Telangana people that the BRS and BJP tried to win the Huzurabad and Munugode bypolls held during the last couple of years with money power, he alleged. During the bypoll to the Munugode assembly seat, alcohol worth Rs 300 crore was sold in liquor shops in the constituency in 20 days, compared to the normal sale of Rs 60 crore per month, he claimed.

Congress neither distributed money nor liquor during the Munugode byelection as the party "does not want to win a bypoll by adopting such unethical means", he said. "It is exposed now that KCR is looking to win (assembly) elections by distributing money and liquor," he alleged. He said he disapproved of the police detaining him at the Telangana Martyrs Memorial, on the ground that prior permission of police and election Returning Officer should be obtained.