Telangana: BJP condemns arrest of state party chief; alleges autocratic rule by CM KCR

As a high voltage political drama unfolds in Telangana after the arrest of BJP state president Bandi Sanjay Kumar, Bharatiya Janata Party leaders have come forward to condemn the arrest of the state president.

Taking to Twitter, Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy strongly condemned the arrest of Kumar during his protest from his camp office. Also, hitting out at Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, Kishan Reddy said, "The suppression of protests and opposition voice continues under the autocratic rule of KCR."

Referring to the protest carried out by Kumar, he also remarked that protests and dissent in support of people's issues play an integral part in democracy, and that the leaders, as people's representatives, strive for them.

Also, replying to his Tweet, BJP's youth wing national president AP Muruganandam also condemned the atrocities leashed upon the BJP leaders. This came in the backdrop of the arrest of Telangana BJP chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Sunday night from Karimnagar after allegedly violating government guidelines to check with the spread of COVID-19.

BJP protests against GO 317

The Bharatiya Janata Party has been continuously protesting against the controversial order of GO 317 which specifies certain guidelines on employee transfer. The MP from Karimnagar, Kumar in a protest against the order, organised a 'Jagaran Deeksha' at his camp office on Sunday where several party cadres and leaders dropped in to join the protest.

However, as per the police's statement, the protest was carried out without any official permission and further, the gathering of so many people was against the guidelines issued by the central and state governments amid the COVID-19 threat. 

It was after that when the police started to arrest BJP activists in preventive custody, detaining more than 150 activists including Bandi Sanjay Kumar.

Image: ANI