Hyderabad witnessed high drama on Friday as Telangana BJP president N Ramchander Rao and several senior party leaders were detained by the police in Moinabad, on their way to Hyderabad. The BJP had given a call to “lay siege” to the Secretariat under the slogan “Save Hyderabad”, protesting against the poor state of civic amenities under the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC). While many leaders were taken into preventive custody in the morning, others were stopped and arrested near the Secretariat as they attempted to stage demonstrations. Heavy police deployment was seen at the Secretariat to prevent any untoward incidents, with several BJP corporators and leaders even placed under house arrest.
Speaking on social media platform X, state BJP chief N Ramchander Rao alleged that he was “unlawfully arrested” while travelling through Chevella, accusing the Congress government of silencing dissent. He strongly criticised the ruling dispensation, claiming that the GHMC drainage system had completely collapsed, leading to frequent flooding, unbearable garbage stench, pothole-ridden roads, and worsening traffic conditions. Highlighting the recent deaths in Ramanthapur and Old City as examples of government negligence, Rao charged that Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy was “busy with Delhi tours” instead of addressing the daily struggles of the people. “This is a government of commissions, not commitments,” he declared, vowing that BJP would continue to fight “on every issue and in every street.”
Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar condemned the detention of Rao and other BJP leaders, questioning why the state party president was arrested for raising public concerns. He accused the Congress government of behaving like its predecessor, the BRS, by resorting to preventive arrests instead of solving civic issues. Alongside senior leaders like BJP vice-president NVSS Prabhakar and Vijayalakshmi, daughter of former Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, many workers were also detained for attempting to march towards the Secretariat. The BJP has declared that this agitation marks only the beginning of a larger fight against what it calls the Congress government’s “failures, negligence, and undemocratic suppress
