Telangana Congress chief, senior leaders put under 'house arrest' ahead of protest Kokapet land auctions

Hyderabad: Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) President and Congress MP A Revanth Reddy and several other senior party leaders were on Monday put under “house arrest” at different places in Hyderabad, police said. Reddy, Congress Lok Sabha member from Malkajgiri, had alleged that there were irregularities to the tune of Rs 1,000 crore in the e-auction of lands in Kokapet conducted by the Telangana government last week. The Telangana Congress had planned a dharna at Kokapet on Monday over the land auctions and ahead of the protest, scores of party leaders including Revanth Reddy, Sanga Reddy MLA and Telangana Congress working president T Jayaprakash Reddy, Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Mohammed Ali Shabbir were among several other senior leaders who were placed under “house arrest”. “They (Telangana Congress leaders) were placed under house arrest to maintain law and order,“a senior police official told PTI. Revanth Reddy, in a letter addressed to the Lok Sabha Speaker said he was “prevented” from attending Parliament which offends the parliamentary privileges during the progress of the session. According to him, he wanted to raise the issue in Parliament against the selling of government land at “throwaway prices to their relatives and TRS ruling party functionaries by the state government”. “Despite knowing the fact, that I have to attend the Parliament session which is scheduled from today and repeated requests, to the officials concerned, The Telangana State Police at the instance of Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, chief Secretary, DGP have obstructed my discharge of duties as a Parliamentarian to attend the Parliament and voice out the people’s concerns,” Revanth Reddy said in the letter. The TPCC chief also tweeted: “Fearing I will take up the Kokapet lands sale scam in the Parliament, police at the instance of CM and DGP prevented me from attending the session. This is violation of my parliamentary privileges as an MP. No matter what @inctelangana will bring truth to light.” However, the ruling TRS had rejected the allegations made by Revanth Reddy and said the process was transparent.