The BRS on Saturday alleged that a group of people belonging to the Telangana Congress resorted to vandalism at the camp office of senior party MLA and former Finance Minister T Harish Rao at Siddipet yesterday even as the two parties sparred over the farm loan waiver announced by the government.
Slamming the Congress government for the “alarming display of lawlessness,” Rao alleged that the police stood mutely as a group of men entered the premises and tore the banners.
The two parties have been involved in a war of words for the past few days with the ruling Congress claiming that it has fulfilled its promise of waiving farm loan up to Rs 2 lakh but the BRS described it as a deception by the government since many families were left out of the waiver scheme.
Harish Rao posted several videos of miscreants entering his camp office, climbing up and tearing off a large banner while shouting slogans of “Jai Congress.”
Rao said: “Breaking locks and vandalizing property in such a manner is not only undemocratic but also raises serious concerns. The police, rather than intervening to prevent this attack, seemingly protected the perpetrators. If an MLA’s residence can be targeted so brazenly, what assurance do citizens have about their own safety?”
He further wrote: “The destruction of government property in the presence of police is utterly unacceptable. Telangana DGP garu to take immediate action against this shocking incident and to ensure that such lawlessness is not tolerated.”
Condemning the attack on Harish Rao’s residence BRS working president KT Rama Rao said the vandalism was a cowardly act, especially because Harish Rao who is one of the senior legislators was targeted.
“Last ten years of Telangana were free from political violence and vendetta politics. Now the Congress party is instigating violence with active support of police. People of Telangana are watching this low level third rate political nonsense of Congress and will give a befitting answer in future.”
Meanwhile, a poster war was also taking place between the two parties. Congress had put up posters demanding the resignation of Harish Rao while claiming that the loan waiver was implemented as promised by the government.
The BRS has also put up posters countering the claim and said the loan waiver was actually a sham by the government. KTR also retaliated against chief minister Revanth Reddy for suggesting that the BJP and BRS merger was inevitable.
He retorted that the Chief Minister would soon join the BJP since he promised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah that since he had started his political career in the BJP, he will end it under the same saffron flag.
The BRS has promised to gather information about the loan waiver from the village level and confront the government.