Telangana police book BJP MP Tejasvi Surya for trespass

Naveen S Garewal

Tribune News Service

Hyderabad, November 26

The Telangana Police have booked BJP Youth leader, also MP from Karnataka, Tejasvi Surya on charges of trespass. Disclosing this at the Police Headquarters, Telangana Director General of Police (DGP) M. Mahender Reddy said the case had been registered on a complaint by the Osmania University registrar, who alleged that the BJP leader has trespassed on campus and addressed people without permission.

The incident took place on Tuesday when BJP workers forcibly entered the university and removed barricades, disrupting the administrative activity. A Member of Parliament from Bengaluru South was in Hyderabad to campaign for the BJP candidates in the December 1 elections to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC).

Sources said BJP workers removed barricades to enter the Osmania University campus after which they paid tributes to the martyrs of the Telangana movement as the university was the epicentre of protests for the separate state of Telangana. The case has been registered under Section 447 (criminal trespass) of the Indian penal Code (IPC) and under other provisions of the Hyderabad City Police Act.

Surya address a meeting at the Arts College, where he alleged that the local police tried to stop him from campaigning at the behest of the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) Party. Police have denied this and the Telangana DGP rubbished the charges.

As the political scene in Hyderabad hots up days before polling, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, East Zone, M. Ramesh also tweeted saying that the police was non-political and was not working at the behest of any party. He said “The law and order situation is peaceful and there is no tension as reported,” he had said. There were reports that clash between the police and the BJP workers had led to tensions on campus.

Condemning the alleged high handedness BJP leaders in the city have condemned the police for what they call “interfering in a democratic process on Constitution day”. Party’s national general secretary Bhupender Yadav said the act of the police at the behest of the ruling party showed “desperation of Telangana Government and chief minister K Chandershekhar Rao (KCR) was rattled at the growing popularity of the BJP”.

Meanwhile, the BJP today released its manifesto for the GHMC polls in which it has promised Corona vaccine and testing to all as per the Central government stipulations. Released by former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis BJP has promised to scrap the Land Regularisation Scheme (LRS) announced by the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government, saying this will redeem people of Greater Hyderabad from Rs 15,000 crore burden.

While, the state’s grant of Rs 10,000 towards flood relief has been stopped due to the elections following complaint by opposition parties including the BJP, the party’s manifesto promises to pay Rs 25,000 to flood affected families. It said the families who already got Rs 10,000 compensation will get the remaining Rs 15,000.

Other BJP promises include free travel to women in Hyderabad Metro and city buses, free tablet computers to all children from poor families, waiver of property tax in all scheduled caste colonies and slum areas, free permission for construction of houses in less than 125 square yards plots, tap connections to all houses and free drinking water supply to all are the other major promises. The party also promised free power to all houses using less than 100 units per month, besides other sops.

GHMC elections are considered to be mini state elections at the polls are held for 150 divisions spread across 650 square meters in four districts and over 20 assembly segments in Hyderabad and its neighbourhood. After winning by-poll in Dubbak, the BJP is contesting the election with renewed vigour, even though the outgoing House of the GHMC has 99 seats with the TRS and another 44 with TRS’s friendly party the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM)

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