Hyderabad: The Hyderabad police reportedly denied permission to Bharat Rashtra Samithi’s (BRS) Secunderabad Bachao Rally on Saturday, January 17, during which a march to the Secunderabad railway Station to support the demand for a separate Municipal corporation for Secunderabad was planned by the party.
Heavy police were deployed in Secunderabad to prevent the march. Reacting to the incident, BRS MLA T Harish Rao criticised the Congress government for obstructing the rally and resorting to preventive arrests.
In a post on X, the former Telangana finance minister said, “I strongly condemn the Congress government’s preventive arrests and obstruction by police for a peaceful rally being conducted by BRS. The government should immediately release all those who have been detained.”
The Siddipet MLA took a dig at the Telangana government, saying that the Congress government had boasted about protecting democratic values under its seventh guarantee. “By obstructing the rally and arrests, the government cannot suppress the voice and demand for the Secunderabad Municipal Corporation establishment,” he remarked.
Videos shared on social media showed BRS leaders raising the “Secunderabad Bachao” slogan while being detained.
Demand for Municipal Corporation in Secuderabad
The proposal to divide Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) into three corporations, including Hyderabad, Cyberabad and Malkajgiri, has triggered opposition from residents and political leaders in Secunderabad, who say erasing the city’s name is unacceptable.
A few days ago, BRS MLA Talasani Srinivas Yadav and other BRS leaders raised the demand for a separate municipal corporation for Secunderabad. They highlighted Secunderabad’s 220-year history, its military cantonment, commercial significance, major railway junction, and landmarks such as the Clock Tower and the Lashkar area.
The merger of localities in Secunderabad into other corporations has drawn criticism. According to reports, Yadav had said the BRS has drawn a phased action plan to achieve the objective.
