All senior Congress leaders of Telangana were placed under house arrest by the police on Thursday, in an attempt to foil the ‘Chalo Secretariat’ call to speak to the Ministers on the inflated power bills that saw huge outrage from the consumers.
Police vans were parked in front of the residences of TPCC chief, N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, CLP leader Bhatti Vikramarka, TPCC working president, A. Revanth Reddy, Bhongir MP, Komatireddy Venkata Reddy, MLA T. Jagga Reddy, former PCC chiefs, Ponnala Lakshmaiah and V. Hanmanth Rao, former MP Anjan Kumar Yadav, and they were not allowed to move outside.
Congress leaders said police gave no reason for blocking them to come out of their residences.
Manthani MLA, D. Sreedhar Babu was arrested near Ravindra Bharathi on his way to Assembly premises.
Several other leaders across the city were forced to sit in their homes as the police stationed vehicles and men and asked them not to leave their houses or they would be arrested.
Mr. Uttam Kumar Reddy tweeted saying police personnel were placed at his house preventing him from coming out. He also posted a video of the policemen sitting right in front of his house.
Mr. Bhatti Vikramarka wondered why the government was so scared if the Congress party wants to meet the Ministers and represent to them.
He said no Chalo Secretariat call was given and all that the party wanted was to meet the Chief Minister and the Ministers to represent to them on the inflated power bills affecting crores of consumers and the rising cases of coronavirus.
Agriculture Minister, S. Niranjan Reddy, asked me to come at 10 am and the police are not allowing us, he said.
Revanth Reddy asked the police at his house to take him to Gandhi Hospital in their own vehicles to speak to the junior doctors on strike assuring that he would not go to the Secretariat.
“You take me in your vehicles or let me go in mine as I want to visit the doctors sitting on strike in the rain throughout the night,” he said.
Hitting out at the Chief Minister for the arrests, Mr. Komatireddy said Telangana was facing a dictatorial rule.
He said how can the government ask the people to pay inflated power bills while asking the same not to pay rent for three months during the lockdown. Instead of providing relief to people it was burdening them and adding to the woes.