A dramatic political confrontation unfolded outside the Telangana Assembly on Monday as senior Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leaders, including working president K T Rama Rao (KTR) and former minister T Harish Rao, were detained by police during a protest against the Congress government.
The BRS leaders and legislators had arrived at the Assembly wearing black outfits and carrying protest messages as the Congress government marked 1,000 days in office. The opposition party accused the government of failing to deliver on several promises and planned to highlight concerns involving farmers, Singareni workers, auto drivers, government employees and anganwadi workers during the Assembly session.
The situation turned tense at the Assembly entrance after police stopped the BRS legislators from proceeding inside.
Black T-shirts trigger confrontation at Assembly gates
Police reportedly objected to slogans displayed on the black T-shirts worn by the BRS leaders. Harish Rao removed his T-shirt after the objection, but the confrontation continued.
He, KTR and several other BRS legislators were subsequently detained.
Videos from outside the Assembly showed heated exchanges between police and protesting lawmakers, with the situation escalating into physical confrontations. Several BRS women legislators were also caught up in the altercation.
The BRS alleged that police used excessive force while preventing its legislators from entering the Assembly premises.
KTR and former minister G Jagadish Reddy reportedly sustained minor injuries during the confrontation. BRS leaders later accused the police of manhandling their lawmakers and strongly objected to the treatment of women legislators.
KTR invokes Rahul Gandhi’s ‘smash patriarchy’ remark
KTR launched a particularly sharp attack on the Congress government while reacting to the alleged treatment of BRS women legislators.
Invoking Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s earlier call to “smash patriarchy”, KTR accused the Telangana government and police of acting contrary to that message.
“Rahul Gandhi calls for Smashing Patriarchy, but here in Congress-run Telangana, the Congress police are smashing and thrashing our women MLAs,” KTR said.
He also questioned whether wearing black had effectively become prohibited in Telangana, pointing out that black clothing has previously been used as a form of political protest in Parliament.
The BRS leader questioned why legislators should be prevented from using the same form of protest inside the Telangana Assembly.
BRS targets Congress government over 1,000 days in office
The protest was organised as the Congress government completed 1,000 days in power in Telangana.
BRS leaders accused the government of failing to meet several electoral commitments and said the Assembly session would be used to raise issues affecting different sections of society.
Farmers, Singareni employees, auto-rickshaw drivers, government workers and anganwadi employees were among the groups whose concerns the opposition planned to highlight.
The protest outside the Assembly was therefore intended to turn the government’s 1,000-day milestone into a political confrontation over its record in office.
Police say slogans, not black clothes, were the issue
Amid the political uproar, the police defended their intervention.
Officials maintained that the action was not prompted simply because the BRS leaders were wearing black. According to the police, their objection was specifically to the slogans displayed on the clothing.
The police also said the action was carried out in accordance with directions from the Assembly Speaker.
The explanation, however, failed to calm the situation, with the BRS continuing to accuse the Congress government of attempting to suppress opposition protests.
Fresh political battle between BRS and Congress
The confrontation has opened another front in the increasingly bitter political battle between the BRS and the Congress government in Telangana.
BRS leaders have condemned the detention of their legislators and alleged that excessive force was used against women MLAs. The opposition has also warned of further protests over what it described as the government’s handling of dissent.
The dramatic scenes outside the Assembly — involving detentions, heated exchanges and scuffles between lawmakers and police — have added a fresh flashpoint to the ongoing political rivalry between the two parties.
