Hyderabad: BRS corporators arrested for protests during GHMC meeting, KT Rama Rao calls it undemocratic

BRS corporators were opposing GHMC Mayor Gadwal Vijayalakshmi’s decision to pass the Budget without discussion in the council meeting

Hyderabad: BRS corporators, who protested during the Budget proceedings at the GHMC council meeting here on Thursday, were arrested. They were opposing Mayor Gadwal Vijayalakshmi’s decision to pass the Budget without discussion in the council meeting.

BRS working president KT Rama Rao condemned the arrest of GHMC corporators, calling it an attempt to suppress voices questioning the Congress government’s approach toward Hyderabad’s development.
He criticised the arrests, stating that corporators were detained for raising concerns over the lack of funds for the city in the GHMC Governing Council meeting.

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“Is it a crime to question why Hyderabad is being ignored? If we exposed the Congress government’s failure to utilise last year’s allocated budget, will they silence our representatives?” he asked.

Former Minister T Harish Rao also decried the arrests, calling the use of marshals to remove corporators from the Budget Council meeting undemocratic.

“Approving a Budget without discussion is unacceptable. Suppressing public representatives who speak for the people is intolerable,” he said.

BRS leaders demanded the immediate release of arrested corporators and warned the State government against undermining elected representatives.

Harish Rao also urged the Congress government to complete development projects initiated by the previous administration and fulfil its promises to Hyderabad.

Mayor Gadwal Vijayalakshmi introduced the GHMC annual Budget of Rs 8,440 crore, for 2025-26 on Thursday. However, the BRS corporators were on their feet and staged protests with placards. They tore the Budget copies into pieces and rushed to the podium.

With the Congress corporators obstructing them, a heated argument ensued, before the marshals intervened and arrested the BRS corporators.