BRS MLA Kaushik Reddy arrested for creating ruckus (Lead)

Hyderabad, Jan 13 Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLA P. Kaushik Reddy was arrested on Monday for creating a ruckus and his alleged misbehaviour with Jagtial MLA M. Sanjay Kumar during District Review Committee (DRC) meeting in Karimnagar on Sunday.

A team of Karimnagar police arrested Kaushik Reddy in Hyderabad when he was returning home after attending a programme on a television channel.

The MLA from Huzurabad was being shifted to Karimnagar.

Earlier, three cases under various sections were registered against Kaushik Reddy in Karimnagar One Town Police Station for his unruly behaviour with Sanjay Kumar during the DRC meeting.

The police filed a case on a complaint lodged by Sanjay Kumar’s Personal Assistant. Another case was registered on a complaint by the Revenue Divisional Officer (DRO) against Kaushik Reddy for causing commotion. A third case against the BRS MLA came on a complaint by Sathu Mallesham, Chairman of Zilla Grandalaya Samastha, who alleged that the MLA behaved rudely with him.

During the DRC meeting on Sunday, Kaushik Reddy had engaged in a verbal spat with Sanjay Kumar and tried to disrupt the latter’s speech.

Pandemonium broke out when Kaushik Reddy rushed towards Sanjay Kumar while the latter was speaking and wanted to know which party he represented. He also made certain remarks against Sanjay Kumar for switching loyalty to the ruling Congress after getting elected on a BRS ticket in the 2023 Assembly elections.

Kaushik Reddy also attempted to snatch the mic from Sanjay, leading to a heated argument. The two MLAs nearly came to blows, triggering chaos in the meeting attended by Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy, IT and Industries Minister D.Sridhar Babu and Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar.

Police intervened and whisked away Kaushik Reddy from the meeting hall.

The BRS MLA later told media persons that Sanjay Kumar should resign as an MLA and contest the by-election.

Meanwhile, BRS Working President K. T. Rama Rao has condemned the arrest of Kaushik Reddy and termed it a heinous act and undemocratic. Rama Rao said filing illegal cases and arresting BRS leaders every day has become a habit of the Revanth Reddy-led government. He alleged that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy is resorting to such ‘despicable’ acts to cover up his incompetence as Chief Minister. The BRS leader said the MLA was arrested for questioning the government’s failures.

Source: IANS