BRS accuses Congress of double standards on protests, seeks withdrawal of cases against MLAs

The BRS on Friday accused the Congress of adopting double standards on opposition protests, alleging that while Rahul Gandhi was allowed to lead demonstrations in Delhi, the Telangana government was booking cases against opposition legislators.

Hyderabad: BRS leaders on Friday accused the Congress of adopting double standards on protests, alleging that while Rahul Gandhi was free to lead demonstrations in Delhi, the Revanth Reddy government was using police cases to suppress opposition protests in Telangana. 

They questioned whether the Congress had different standards for different States, demanding equal treatment of opposition protests and the withdrawal of cases against their legislators.

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BRS general secretary RS Praveen Kumar questioned the Congress over the alleged sexual harassment cases registered against BRS legislators following their protest outside the Assembly on September 7. He said the legislators had folded their hands and requested women police personnel to let them pass, yet cases were booked against them.

“If this is the standard, how many sexual harassment cases should be filed against Rahul Gandhi for allegedly pushing a woman police constable on a road in Delhi?” he asked, accusing the Congress of applying different standards to its leaders and the Opposition.

Former MLA Gadari Kishore Kumar, addressing a press conference at Telangana Bhavan, alleged that the government was using cases against opposition leaders instead of addressing public issues. He urged Rahul Gandhi to question Revanth Reddy over the treatment of the BRS legislators in Telangana and ensure that opposition protests were allowed without police interference.

He also criticised the government over its silence on power shortages affecting farmers and the increase in transformer-related deposits. He accused the Chief Minister of resorting to diversionary politics instead of focusing on governance.

Former MLA K Prabhakar Reddy demanded the withdrawal of the cases against BRS legislators and sought an apology from Rahul Gandhi for the Congress government’s actions. He alleged that the government had failed farmers on issues including power supply and welfare schemes, but continued to target the opposition for raising these issues.

Former MLA Nomula Bhagat accused the government of neglecting farmers facing crop damage due to inadequate power and irrigation. Former SC and ST Commission chairman Errolla Srinivas also alleged that the Congress was applying different standards to protests in Delhi and Telangana.