Flexi row triggers chaos at ration card review meeting in Siddipet

Chaos erupted at the Siddipet ration card review meeting as BRS cadres protested the omission of their leaders’ photos from official flexis. Heated exchanges with Congress workers followed, forcing police to evict the protestors amid political sloganeering

Siddipet: Tensions flared at the ration card distribution review meeting held at the Siddipet Collectorate on Monday after BRS cadres created a commotion over the omission of their leaders’ photos from official flexi banners.

The flashpoint came when the flexi, displayed prominently at the meeting venue, featured leaders only from Siddipet and Gajwel constituencies—leaving out Dubbak MLA Kotha Prabhakar Reddy and SC, ST Commission Chairperson Bakki Venkataiah. Agitated BRS cadres raised slogans and questioned the district administration over the snub.

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District Collector K Hymavathi attempted to pacify the gathering, stating that the meeting was specifically meant for Siddipet and Gajwel constituencies and that a separate review would be conducted for Dubbak. However, when MLA Prabhakar Reddy pointed out that his name was printed in the agenda copies and questioned why he had been invited, officials failed to provide a convincing answer.

The incident escalated as BRS workers accused the government of deliberately ignoring their leaders. They raised slogans against Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and demanded that the portraits of their leaders be displayed. The situation worsened further as they objected to the small-sized portrait of former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao that had been placed by the organisers.

Congress cadres present at the venue countered with slogans against BRS supremo K Chandrashekhar Rao and former minister T Harish Rao, who was also in attendance. The meeting hall soon echoed with heated slogans from both sides, turning into a battleground of political one-upmanship.

Unable to control the uproar, police eventually had to forcefully remove the protesting BRS cadres from the meeting hall. Labour Minister G Vivek, the in-charge minister for the erstwhile Medak district, remained a mute spectator throughout the clash, even as the hall reverberated with slogans and counter slogans.