Setting off the security staff in the Secretariat on high alert, several Telangana BJP leaders today attempted to storm the Secretariat and staged a dharna in front of the Samata Block which houses the Chief Minister's Office, alleging diversion of input subsidy funds meant for farmers to other projects.
The BJP leaders went to the Secretariat to meet Chief Secretary Rajiv Sharma to demand the release of the input subsidy to the farmers. Party floor leader G Kishan Reddy submitted a memorandum to Sharma urging him to make use of the Rs. 899 crores of input subsidy provided by the Centre towards for the State's farmers.
The BJP leaders asked why Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao was hesitating to use the funds or waive off loans. They alleged that the funds were being diverted to elsewhere.
Not satisfied with the reply given by the Chief Secretary during the meeting, the MLAs sat on a dharna holding placards demanding that the government release the funds.
Kishan Reddy, Khairatabad MLA Chintala Ramachandra Reddy, N V S S Prabhakar, MLC Ramachandra Rao, former MLAs Baddam Bal Reddy and Nagam Janardhan Reddy, Ch Ramachandra Reddy, Nagam Janardhan Reddy and K Pushpa Leela also participated in the protest.
The police soon arrested the agitators after futile attempts at persuading them.