Opposition Leaders Detained Ahead of CM Revanth Reddy’s Kothagudem Visit

Tensions flared in Telangana’s Bhadradri Kothagudem district on Wednesday as police detained several opposition leaders and activists ahead of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s scheduled visit. The preventive arrests targeted members of various political parties and people’s organisations, sparking criticism from the opposition, particularly the BRS.

Among those detained were CPM district committee member Bhukya Ramesh, who was taken to the three-town police station in Kothagudem early in the morning. Several CPI (ML) Mass Line activists were also picked up in Dammapet. In Aswapuram mandal, Gram Panchayat Workers Union district president Gaddala Sivakrishna and Sewalal Sena leaders Bhukya Narasimha Nayak and Somla Nayak were taken into custody. Telangana State Activists Welfare Association general secretary B Nageswara Rao was detained in Paloncha.

BRS leader Poorna Chandra Nayak, who was also arrested, condemned the action as “illegal” and claimed that the government was attempting to suppress dissent. He accused the Congress of failing to address urgent agricultural issues, particularly the shortage of urea for farmers. He further alleged that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy was misusing the PC Ghosh Commission’s report on the Kaleshwaram project to politically target BRS chief K Chandrashekhar Rao.

Nayak also criticised the government’s water management, accusing it of diverting Godavari waters through the Sitarama project instead of supporting irrigation in Kothagudem. Calling upon Lambadi activists to stage protests during the Chief Minister’s public meeting, he voiced dissent against Bhadrachalam MLA Tellam Venkat Rao and former MP Soyam Bapu Rao for seeking the removal of Lambadas from the Scheduled Tribes list.

Opposition leaders framed the arrests as an attempt to stifle democratic protest. The Congress, however, maintained that the detentions were precautionary to ensure law and order during the Chief Minister’s visit.