Telangana Poll: BRS condemns Chandrababu arrest to retain Andhra voters

The ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in Telangana does not want to take any political risks ahead of this year's Assembly elections. After coming under flak for not allowing permissions for protests in the information technology hub, BRS Minister Harish Rao called Chandrababu Naidu's arrest 'unfortunate' while a BRS MLA took part in public protest against the AP government's action.

Hyderabad : The action of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leaders in condemning the arrest of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu despite the party officially maintaining a neutral stand shows that they fear losing votes of TDP sympathizers and 'settlers' in the upcoming Telangana Assembly election.

Finance Minister T. Harish Rao calling Naidu’s arrest unfortunate and a BRS MLA joining in the public protest in Hyderabad indicate that the ruling party does not want to take any risks, especially after coming under flak from various for not allowing permissions for protests in the information technology hub. Addressing a public meeting in Siddipet district on Saturday, Harish Rao had termed Naidu's arrest 'unfortunate'.

"It is unfortunate that he (Naidu) was arrested at this age," he said. He said that Naidu had praised Telangana's progress after it was formed. The minister said that the TDP chief referred to how land prices in Telangana have increased manifold, benefiting farmers. Earlier, people in present-day Andhra Pradesh could buy 10 acres in Telangana while selling one acre in Andhra.

The situation has now changed as now, people can buy 100 acres in Andhra if they sell one acre in Telangana, he said, referring to the comments made by Naidu during his meetings in Andhra Pradesh. He said that Naidu used to support the IT sector but he too, had accepted that Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao had done tremendous work in the agriculture sector.

"Some leaders may have spoken individually but we are staying neutral," he had said while apparently referring to statements made by some BRS leaders criticizing Naidu's arrest by Andhra Pradesh CID in an alleged skill development scam.