Revanth detained for daring KCR to swear on no liquor, cash in polls

Hyderabad: Telangana Congress president A Revanth Reddy was on Tuesday taken into preventive custody near Gun Park here after he reached there along with party cadres without obtaining prior permission from authorities.

Revanth Reddy had recently challenged Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) president and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to come to the Martyrs Memorial in Gun Park and swear that his party would seek votes without inducements, such as offering money and liquor to voters during the November 30 Assembly polls. As Revanth Reddy did not obtain permission from the authorities concerned and because the model code of conduct is in force, he was taken into preventive custody citing possible law and order issues. “He (Revanth) was taken into preventive custody and subsequently shifted to Gandhi Bhavan,” a senior police official said.

Protesting the police action against their state unit chief, Congress workers raised the slogan, “Police julm bandh karo”, as police took Revanth Reddy into preventive custody. The PCC president threw the “challenge” at CM KCR in the wake of allegations by BRS that Congress would pump in money from Karnataka to lure the voters in Telangana.

Later, talking to reporters at Gandhi Bhavan, Revanth Reddy alleged that ruling BRS is banking on money power and distribution of liquor to win the November 30 Legislative Assembly polls. “Harish Rao, Taraka Rama Rao, Kalvakuntla Chandrasekhar Rao (CM KCR) are making serious allegations against Congress that money is coming from neighbouring states. They spoke repeatedly in public meetings that Congress is trying to win elections by distributing money and liquor,” he told reporters. It is clear to Telangana people that the BRS and BJP tried to win the Huzurabad and Munugode bypolls held during the last couple of years with money power, he alleged.