Misuse of power by Congress to settle political scores, says BRS

The BRS is gearing up to address the matter decisively, intending to emphasize it throughout its electoral campaign.

Hyderabad: The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) is intensifying its protest against the Congress government in the State alleging misuse of power to stifle dissent and harass opposition party workers, especially those active on social media platforms. In a complaint lodged with the Director General of Police (DGP) on Wednesday, the BRS raised concerns over the alarming trend of filing illegal cases against its leaders and activists, alleging an orchestrated effort to silence criticism.

The BRS has taken up the issue seriously and is planning to raise it throughout its poll campaign, after party president and Leader of Opposition K Chandrashekhar Rao highlighted the atrocities of the police against party activists and obstructing them from coming to the Praja Ashirvada Sabha public meeting held at Sulthanpur in Andole constituency of Medak district on Tuesday.

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Chandrashekhar Rao condemned the actions of the police, saying that they were acting as puppets of the ruling Congress. He pointed out that when the BRS was in power, there were no attempts to suppress opposition voices and freedom of speech was upheld. He called for impartiality and transparency in police actions and demanded the withdrawal of false cases against BRS workers. He also warned that the BRS was closely monitoring the situation and would take appropriate action if the police continued to obstruct its activities.

He called for an inquiry into the arrest of social media activist Salvaji Madhava Rao in Karimnagar and urged the DGP to ensure fair and impartial investigations into cases involving BRS members.

In its complaint on Wednesday, the BRS cited the particular incident of an attempted murder on Madhava Rao by Congress MLA Adluri Laxman, allegedly orchestrated by a rowdy sheeter named Sogali Tirupati. The BRS said that Tirupati targeted Madhava Rao for his outspoken criticism of the Congress MLA from Karimnagar district. The party also said false cases, including SC and ST atrocity charges, are being fabricated against its members to silence them. The party demanded withdrawal of false cases filed against Madhava Rao and to initiate action against police officials for filing false cases.

The BRS also alleged that the Congress government was misusing the police and targeting opposition leaders, particularly those affiliated with the BRS. Criticism of government policies, especially on social media, was met with swift retaliation in the form of police cases including bind-overs and intimidation tactics. Party workers were being subjected to undue pressure, threats and harassment. The party pointed out the over enthusiasm being displayed by some police officers and warned against such behaviour by the police, terming it unacceptable in a democratic society.

The BRS said some police officers were trying to impress their political bosses by harassing opposition party members. The BRS advised the police to remember that no political party would remain in power forever and hence, to refrain from such biased actions. In the last 10 years of BRS rule, the party pointed out that no such attempts to suppress the opposition voices were made and instead, complete freedom was ensured by focusing on law and order maintenance.