BJP condemns party chief’s ‘house arrest’

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has strongly condemned the house arrest of its State president N. Ramchander Rao which prevented him from participating in the party’s scheduled ‘Hoist the National Tricolour’ campaign at households as part of Independence Day celebrations on Tuesday morning.

Mr. Rao was slated to attend a series of programmes in the Secunderabad and Goshamahal constituencies. However, a group of policemen arrived at his Tarnaka residence and placed him under house arrest, anticipating his participation in a programme organized by the BJP women’s wing at Peddamma Temple in Jubilee Hills.

This action sparked widespread criticism from party leaders, including Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar, Mahabubnagar MP D.K. Aruna, former MLA N.V.S.S. Prabhakar, General Secretary K. Venkateshwarlu, Chief Spokesperson N.V. Subash, Women’s Wing President Dr. Shilpa Reddy, and several others.

Despite being occupied with the Parliament session in Delhi, Mr. Sanjay Kumar accused the Congress-led state government of orchestrating a conspiracy to secure votes from a particular community ahead of the upcoming Jubilee Hills by-election.

“The government is playing politics with Hindu sentiments for the sake of votes from one community. Even though our party chief had no plans to visit the Peddamma Temple, he was arrested,” he said, questioning whether visiting a temple was now considered a crime.

Mr. Prabhakar alleged that the current government was continuing the ‘vote bank politics’ of the BRS regime by restricting the majority community’s access to temples and religious practices. “This goes against the principles of democracy and the fundamental rights of citizens,” he said.

Mr. Subash also accused the State government of attempting to silence opposition voices through illegal arrests. “Just as the people of Telangana rejected the BRS, the Revanth Reddy government is likely to face a similar fate,” he warned.

The BJP clarified that its campaign aimed to honour the national flag and commemorate the sacrifices of freedom fighters, and was not directed against the State government. The party warned of Statewide protests if such actions continued.

Meanwhile, Dr. Shilpa Reddy criticized the police for indiscriminately arresting members of the women’s wing and preventing them from conducting a ‘spiritual’ programme at the Peddamma Temple. “In a democracy, everyone has the right to religious expression. The government is trying to usurp these rights,” she said.