Prashanth Reddy stages hunger strike after house arrest, sets Aug 15 deadline for Bheemgal works

Former Minister and Balkonda MLA Vemula Prashanth Reddy staged a day-long hunger strike at his Velpur residence after being placed under house arrest by police ahead of his planned protest in Bheemgal. He accused the Congress government of stalling major public works and vowed to intensify his agitation if the projects were not completed by August 15.

Nizamabad: Former Minister and Balkonda MLA Vemula Prashanth Reddy on Wednesday staged a day-long hunger strike at his residence in Velpur after being placed under house arrest by the police ahead of his proposed protest over pending development works in Bheemgal. He had set August 15 as the deadline for the State government for completing four major public works, failing which he vowed to intensify the stir.

Police surrounded his residence in the morning, preventing him from proceeding to the planned protest venue. Several BRS leaders and activists were also detained across the Balkonda constituency, while the party alleged that the protest camp at Bheemgal had been dismantled overnight.

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Undeterred by the restrictions, Prashanth Reddy continued his fast from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. without taking water, joined by party leaders and workers at his residence.

The MLA accused the Congress government of deliberately neglecting key public infrastructure projects, including the 100-bed government hospital, Integrated Market Yard, Bheemgal RTC bus depot, and CC and BT roads. He alleged that these works had been stalled despite being substantially completed during the previous BRS government.

Addressing the media, he said police action would not deter his fight for public issues and demanded that the government announce a clear timeline for completing the pending projects instead of suppressing peaceful protests.

Earlier, BRSLP deputy leader T Harish Rao condemned the police action, alleging that the Congress government was stifling democratic dissent by preventing a peaceful hunger strike. He accused the government of resorting to repression instead of addressing public grievances and urged it to withdraw anti-democratic measures against the Opposition.