Telangana: Congress, BRS In War Of Words Over Attack On Officials

HYDERABAD: The ruling Congress and opposition BRS in Telangana were on Thursday engaged in a war of words over the recent attack on officials in Vikarabad during a public hearing for land acquisition. BRS working president K T Rama Rao alleged that the police department is working like a private army of the Chief Minister to hide his failure in maintaining law and order in his own assembly constituency of Kodangal.

The CM proposed "a pharma village much against the wishes of the farmers, much against the wishes of the local people there for the benefit of the pharma company and his son-in-law and people are bound to protest," he told PTI videos.

Meanwhile, state Congress president B Mahesh Kumar Goud said action should be taken against anyone, including Rama Rao, if their involvement was proven in the attack on the officials. "If KTR's involvement is there (in Vikarabad incident)...If it gets proved in the investigation, then I feel the government should go ahead with the action.... If anyone is guilty, then he should be punished," Goud said.

The state police on Wednesday alleged that former BRS MLA Patnam Narender Reddy, arrested in connection with the attack on district authorities in Vikarabad during a recent public hearing on land acquisition, revealed that the incident was planned under the directions of the party's working president K T Rama Rao, and others.

Narender Reddy, charged with conspiracy and abetment, has been named the prime accused in the case. BRS on Thursday quoted Narender Reddy as having said in an affidavit that the "confession report" submitted by police in his name was wrong.