Hyderabad,Sep.7: The Telangana Assembly session began on a stormy note on Monday as BRS legislators arrived wearing black T-shirts to protest what the party described as the Congress government’s failure to fulfil its election poll promises.
The protest escalated at the Assembly gate after police stopped the (Bharat Rashtra Samithi) BRS legislators from entering the premises in slogan-bearing T-shirts. BRS working president K. T. Rama Rao, former minister T. Harish Rao and several other party leaders were subsequently detained.
The BRS legislators gathered at Gun Park before proceeding towards the Assembly. Their black T-shirts carried messages targeting the Congress government’s alleged failures in past 1,000 days.
Among the slogans displayed were references to the alleged failure to implement the ruling party electoral guarantees and the party’s “1,000 days of failed governance” campaign.
According to reports, the confrontation involved jostling between the legislators and security personnel. KTR, Harish Rao and other leaders were later taken into custody and shifted away from the Assembly premises.
In an attempt to enter the Assembly, Harish Rao removed his black T-shirt after police objected to the attire. Other BRS legislators also removed their T-shirts.
The move, however, did not immediately end the confrontation. Harish Rao and other leaders continued to protest at the Assembly gate, questioning why they were being prevented from entering the House.
KTR questioned the restriction and referred to instances of political leaders wearing black during protests in Parliament, arguing that the BRS legislators should similarly be allowed to express their dissent.
The protest is part of a larger BRS campaign against the Congress government following the completion of 1,000 days in office.
The BRS has accused the Congress government of failing to implement its electoral commitments. failures in areas including agriculture, welfare, employment and other promises made before the 2023 Assembly elections.
KTR has claimed that Congress made 420 promises and assured voters that they would be implemented within 100 days. The BRS working president has alleged that the government has failed to fulfil those commitments even after 1,000 days.
The Congress government, however, faces the Opposition’s increasingly aggressive campaign as the BRS seeks to use the Assembly session to raise issues concerning farmers, unemployed youth, government employees, Singareni workers, auto drivers and other sections.
Following the detention of its leaders, the BRS announced statewide protests against what it described as police high-handedness and the denial of entry to its legislators. KTR called upon party leaders and cadre to stage protests across Telangana, turning the Assembly-gate confrontation into a wider political issue.
