BRS MLA Kaushik Reddy’s residence attacked by Congress workers; Party demands action

Earlier, tensions flared after Kaushik Reddy questioned Gandhi's appointment as the PAC chairman, a post typically given to opposition members

Hyderabad: The protests by the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) over the appointment of turncoat MLA Arekapudi Gandhi’s appointment as the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman took serious turns on Thursday with the verbal duel over the issue between Huzurabad MLA Padi Kaushik Reddy and Gandhi escalating into Congress-sponsored violence.

The unsavoury developments on Thursday saw Congress supporters attacked Kaushik Reddy’s residence in Kondapur here. The BRS condemned the attack, saying that the Congress was orchestrating it to intimidate its MLAs.

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Earlier, tensions flared after Kaushik Reddy questioned Gandhi’s appointment as the PAC chairman, a post typically given to opposition members. Gandhi, who defected from the BRS to the Congress, justified the Assembly Speaker’s decision, claiming that he was a BRS MLA till date.

In retaliation, Kaushik Reddy vowed to visit Gandhi’s residence in Kukatpally at 11 am on Thursday and offer him a BRS scarf.

The Serlingampally MLA countered this by saying he would visit Kaushik Reddy’s house if the latter failed to arrive. He questioned Kaushik Reddy’s competence to challenge a senior legislator like him, stating that leaders like Kaushik Reddy were responsible for the electoral defeat of the BRS and its present condition.

He accused Kaushik Reddy of instigating a war of words to grab media attention. Anticipating trouble, the police placed Kaushik Reddy under house arrest, but Gandhi and his supporters managed to reach the gated villa community in Kondapur, challenging the Huzurabad MLA to come out and confront them.

The situation escalated when Gandhi’s supporters managed to scale the main gate and clashed with BRS workers, apart from pelting stones, eggs, and tomatoes at Kaushik Reddy’s residence.

In the melee, a windowpane was shattered, while outdoor furniture and landscaping including some flower pots were damaged. Police intervened using mild force, detaining several of Gandhi’s followers and escorted him out.

Speaking to the media, Kaushik Reddy said the attack was an assassination attempt and said his family, including women, were also targeted during the attack. Stating that he would not get intimidated by such attacks, Kaushik Reddy warned of a retaliation from him and also criticised the police for their inaction.

Learning about the attack, senior BRS leaders, including former Ministers T Harish Rao, P Sabitha Indra Reddy and Vemula Prashanth Reddy, visited Kaushik Reddy’s residence, expressing solidarity.

Later, they protested at the Cyberabad Police Commissioner’s office, demanding action against the police officials who failed to prevent the attack and also called for the arrest of Gandhi and his supporters.