‘Why fear a peaceful dharna?’ Harish Rao hits out as Telangana Police blocks BRS leaders from meeting Parigi farmers

Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) deputy leader in Telangana Legislative Assembly T Harish Rao and several leaders of the party were confined to their homes on Tuesday as police acted to stop them from travelling to Parigi in Vikarabad district, where they planned to meet farmers protesting against a proposed industrial park.

The move comes amid growing political tension over land acquisition in the region. BRS leaders had announced a visit to stand with farmers who claim their land is being taken for the project, setting the stage for a confrontation between the opposition and the state government.

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Police presence was increased outside Harish Rao’s residence to block his movement. Former minister Sabitha Indra Reddy and other leaders from Ranga Reddy and Vikarabad districts were also restricted to their homes.

మాజీ మంత్రి @BRSHarish గారు హౌస్ అరెస్ట్.. పరిగి పర్యటనకు వెళ్లకుండా అడ్డగింత.

ఇండస్ట్రియల్ పార్క్ బాధిత రైతులను కలిసేందుకు వెళ్లకుండా బీఆర్ఎస్ నేతలపై ఆంక్షలు.

హరీశ్ రావు నివాసం వద్ద భారీగా మోహరించిన పోలీస్ బలగాలు.

మాజీ మంత్రి సబితా ఇంద్రారెడ్డి గారు, పలువురు ఉమ్మడి… pic.twitter.com/sMXVrP1nvU

— Office of Harish Rao (@HarishRaoOffice) April 7, 2026

Speaking to reporters, Harish Rao criticised the action, questioning why the government was uneasy about a planned peaceful protest. He said they only intended to hold a dharna and asked if such steps reflected a people-friendly administration.

KTR calls detentions ‘illegal’, alleges attack on dissent

BRS working president KT Rama Rao condemned the police action, calling the house arrests unlawful. He said the leaders were on their way to support farmers and accused the government of suppressing dissent.

Several other party figures, including former MLAs Mahesh Reddy, Narender Reddy and Menthuku Anand, along with local leaders, were also detained.

Rama Rao alleged that around 1,200 acres of land in Kadlapur and Rapolu villages in Parigi constituency were being taken for the industrial park. He accused the government led by A Revanth Reddy of going back on its promises and targeting land owned by poorer sections.

He further claimed that key welfare assurances, including support schemes for farmers and loan waivers, had not been delivered. At the same time, he said, the government was pushing land acquisition in the name of industrial growth.

Rama Rao also argued that the administration had failed to attract new industries in the past two-and-a-half years, while showing eagerness in acquiring land.

He added that arrests and legal pressure were not new for BRS leaders and insisted that such actions would not stop them from backing the farmers’ cause.