BJP Slams Arrest Of State President Ramchander Rao

The Telangana BJP today strongly condemned the "illegal" arrest of its State President, N Ramchander Rao, by the police when he was proceeding to Banswada.

BJP National Vice President and MP D K Aruna condemned the police action, and asked whether it was a crime for a State party president to travel to offer solidarity and support to his party's MLAs.

She accused Chief Minister Revanth Reddy of running a repressive regime by using the police machinery as a shield and tool for obstruction. "Why is the State government so panicked when someone sets out to stand by party workers and support an MLA?" she asked, and described the arrests and detentions of BJP leaders and workers as a heinous act.

BJP State official spokesperson and Media in-charge N V Subhash said that the State President had intended to visit Banswada peacefully to express solidarity with and condemn the recent attack on a BJP MLA. He termed the arrest of Rao a direct assault on democracy by the Congress government.

Alleging that the incident reflected the Congress government's biased and high-handed approach, Subhash warned the government that attempts to intimidate the BJP through arrests and house detentions would not deter the party's democratic struggle. He said that the Congress government would ultimately have to answer to the people for these actions.

For context, N Ramchander Rao was detained today by the Telangana police while travelling to Banswada following a recent communal incident that heightened tensions in the area. He was stopped and taken into preventive custody on the outskirts of Hyderabad as he attempted to proceed despite prohibitory orders under Section 144 being in force. Rao had planned to visit the affected families and review the situation on behalf of his party. The police said that the arrest was a precautionary measure to prevent any escalation and to maintain public order.