At a time when political differences should be kept away during periods of national calamity and involved in relief activities coming in rescue to the affected people, the worst hit Khammam district remained as a center of `ego clashes’ between Congress and BRS leaders.
While Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s visit in the district on Monday was marked by protests at several places in the district, on Tuesday, former ministers and senior BRS leaders were attacked allegedly by Congress cadres. This has provoked political heat in the district.
When T. Harish Rao along with former ministers P Sabitha Indra Reddy, G Jagadish Reddy, Puvvada Ajay Kumar, MP Vaddiraju Ravichandra, former MP Nama Nageswara Rao and others visited several residential areas to distribute essential commodities to flood-affected families, their convoy was attacked by Congress workers.
Even they entered into heated arguments with BRS workers against the visit of BRS leaders at the Manchikanti Nagar area. The clash turned violent as Congress workers started attacking the BRS workers. The Congress supporters also began pelting stones at the car in which Harish Rao and others were travelling.
The windshield of the car was damaged while a BRS worker Santhosh Reddy of Siddipet suffered a fracture on his leg. Another elderly man suffered a head injury. Ajay Kumar’s car was also damaged while his gunman was injured in the stone pelting.
Nearly 15 persons took part in the attack and only one Inspector from the Three-Town police station was on security duty, BRS leaders said. Harish Rao strongly condemned the attack and said that he wanted to know whether Congress’ Praja Palana meant attacking Opposition leaders?
He warned that BRS leaders would not fear such foolish acts as they had a history of fighting against those who were mightier than Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy. Jagadish Reddy alleged the attack was planned and that the attackers targeted Harish Rao and demanded strict action against the attackers.
He deplored that the Congress party stooped down so low that its workers were attacking former ministers and MLAs who wanted to help flood-hit families. He demanded that the Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao, the local MLA, should respond to the incident as the person who led the attack was his follower.
The attack shows cowardice of the Congress leadership, which was guilty of failing to extend immediate support to flood affected families, he added.
Later in the day, Harish Rao and others called on Commissioner of Police Sunil Dutt and lodged a complaint seeking action against those who attacked them.