Hyderabad: BRS Working President K.T. Rama Rao strongly condemned the overnight removal of the Peddi Sudarshan Reddy statue and demanded its reversal. KTR accused the Revanth Reddy government of acting harshly against the memory of the late former MLA and Telangana movement activist.
He also criticised the detention and house arrest of BRS leaders and workers across the erstwhile Warangal district following protests over the removal. KTR demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all detained party leaders and workers. Moreover, he warned against registering what he described as illegal cases against BRS cadres.
The BRS leader alleged that the government had used police to remove the statue in Narsampet during the night. KTR claimed the Congress government was unsettled by the prospect of the Peddi Sudarshan Reddy statue standing in Narsampet.
He alleged that this was why police had removed the statue around midnight. KTR questioned why police had to act overnight to please Chief Minister Revanth Reddy. He urged officers not to act merely on the instructions of Congress leaders.
Instead, he asked police personnel to respect the law and democratic values. KTR also warned the police and Congress government that political power was never permanent.
He described the removal as a “brutal act” and accused the state government of displaying an authoritarian approach.
KTR condemns arrests over Peddi Sudarshan Reddy statue
KTR also criticised police action against BRS leaders who protested the statue’s removal. He alleged that police had made arrests and imposed house arrests across the erstwhile Warangal district by early morning.
According to KTR, the action resembled the harsh methods witnessed during the administration of undivided Andhra Pradesh. He said suppressing people’s rights and democratic protests was unacceptable. Therefore, he demanded that the government immediately withdraw its action concerning the statue.
KTR specifically objected to police action involving several senior BRS leaders. He named Legislative Council Opposition Leader Sirikonda Madhusudhana Chary and former Government Chief Whip Dasyam Vinay Bhaskar.
Former MLA Nannapuneni Narender was also among the leaders mentioned by KTR. He further referred to senior party leaders and former corporation chairmen Nagurla Venkanna and Marri Yadava Reddy.
KTR said police had also arrested or placed under house arrest key BRS leaders and workers from mandals across Narsampet constituency.
KTR demands release of detained BRS workers
KTR demanded the unconditional and immediate release of every BRS leader and worker detained in connection with the protests. He warned that the party would not tolerate illegal cases against its leaders or cadres.
The BRS working president also referred to the family of the late Peddi Sudarshan Reddy. He said the government should not further distress family members who were already grieving his death.
KTR urged the authorities to avoid actions that could affect their morale during the period of mourning. KTR also made a political pledge concerning the late BRS leader’s legacy in Narsampet.
He asserted that the BRS would return to power in Telangana. After returning to government, he said, the party would name the Narsampet Medical College after Peddi Sudarshan Reddy.
KTR also pledged that the BRS would permanently commemorate the former MLA’s role and what he described as his heroic struggle. He reiterated his condemnation of the Peddi Sudarshan Reddy statue removal and demanded that the government step back from its action.