Congress Blasts Police, Calls Commissioner RSS Agent

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president N Uttam Kumar Reddy today lambasted the TRS government, as also Hyderabad Police Commissioner Anjani Kumar, for not only declining permission to his party's "Save India, Save Constitution" rally, but also for arresting thousands of Congress workers to prevent them from participating in a "satyagraha" at Gandhi Bhavan.

Addressing the party workers at Gandhi Bhavan, Reddy said that Congress leaders would meet Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan seeking her intervention. As per Section 8 of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act 2014, the Governor had the powers to intervene in matters of law & order, he said, and so his party would take the issue of the Police Commissioner's behaviour seriously until action was taken against him.

Earlier, speaking after hoisting the party flag on the occasion of the party's 135th Formation Day, Reddy called upon the people to unite against the BJP's "communal plans of dividing the country on the basis of religion".

He said that the BJP government at the Centre was pursuing a Hindutva policy, and that the Citizenship Amendment Act, NRC, NPR, triple talaq revoking, Article 370 abrogation and construction of Ram Mandir were all to that effect. He warned that the implementation of the CAA would turn the Muslims in India into second grade citizens. He also said that NRC and NPR would prove dangerous for the survival of democracy in India.

However the Congress had always fought against communal forces, and it would continue its fight, he said. He said that his party had launched the nationwide drive "Save India, Save Constitution" to that same end, but that the TRS government, by misusing the police force, had prevented the TPCC from taking out a peaceful rally.

"We wanted to take out a peaceful rally with the national flag from Gandhi Bhavan to the Ambedkar statue at the Tank Bund and recite the Preamble of the Constitution. But while the Police Commissioner permitted the RSS, he denied permission to the Congress party for this tiranga march," he said.

He said that over 1,000 Congress workers were taken into custody by the city police, and accused Anjani Kumar of being an RSS agent.

He said that permission was first denied on the pretext that the proposed route was "non-notified" and an "arterial road", and there could be disturbance to the law & order. The party had then given another letter seeking permission to take out a silent rally on any route from Gandhi Bhavan, but even that request was rejected. And finally the police did not allow the party workers to participate even in a peaceful "satyagraha" at Gandhi Bhavan.

He said that the Congress would continue to fight for the people's rights with the slogan "BJP se Bharat bachao, TRS se Telangana bachao".

The TPCC chief also asked the party workers to take the municipal elections very seriously and strive for the party's win. He also said that his party was objecting to the violation of rules by the State Election Commission. He said that nowhere in the country was the election schedule announced before the finalization of the voters' list and the reservation of wards.

Senior leaders, including AICC leader R C Khuntia and CLP leader Bhatti Vikramarka, were present.