Telangana MLA Detained Amid Farmer Protests; Opposition Accuses Government of Politicizing Anger

Former Kodangal MLA Patnam Narender Reddy was detained by the Hyderabad Police on Monday, November 9, for his alleged role in inciting violence in Vikarabad. Reddy, a former Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLA, was detained while on a morning walk at KBR Park and has been moved to Vikarabad. A video shared on social media showed police personnel pushing him into a car. As many as four officials were injured when villagers pelted stones at them on Saturday, November 7, and dozens of villagers were detained on Sunday, November 8. Meanwhile, the BRS and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alleged that the Telangana government is trying to politicise farmers’ anger and blame it on the opposition parties to divert public attention from its failures. In a statement, BJP spokesperson NV Subhash said the failures of Revanth Reddy’s government are clearly visible across the state, where people are feeling suffocated. He added that people are upset because the guarantees given to them have not been implemented even after 10 months of rule.