Telangana: BRS MLA grabs BJP candidate by throat during debate
What's the story
A new row has erupted in Telangana ahead of the much-awaited assembly election.
A political debate hosted by a Telugu news channel turned violent when Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLA KP Vivekananda grabbed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kuna Srisailam Goud by the throat.
In response, the BJP has urged the police to register a case against Vivekananda, or the party would take legal action against the BRS MLA.
Details
Debate between 3 political party leaders
In a video clip of the incident, the MLA can be seen losing his cool and grabbing the BJP leader by the throat.
Amid the escalation, the police and others could be seen intervening and separating the two leaders.
The open-stage debate by NTV took place in the Quthbullapur constituency in Hyderabad between Vivekananda, Goud, and Congress representative Kolan Hanumanth Reddy on Wednesday.
What Next?
BJP condemns BRS MLA's attack
Reacting to the incident, BJP state President G Kishan Reddy took to X (formerly Twitter) and asked the people of Telangana what would happen if the BRS returned to power.
"It's shocking when a contesting opposition candidate is attacked and scuffled in open public, imagine if BRS returns to power even common people will be attacked in same manner?" Reddy asked.
Twitter Post
Check out Reddy's full post here
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗕𝗥𝗦 - 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗺
— G Kishan Reddy (@kishanreddybjp) October 25, 2023
BJP MLA candidate from Quthuballapur @KunaSrisailam attacked by BRS sitting MLA.
It’s shocking when a contesting opposition candidate is attacked and scuffled in open public, imagine if BRS returns to power even common… pic.twitter.com/h4kj3m9ydw
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Vivekananda's actions show BRS is in total depression: Laxman
Senior BJP leader K Laxman, on the other hand, said, "When the TV debate is going on, naturally, the opposition leader puts a lot of questions, so answer the question and face it."
"They are now losing the battle, so imagine how government machinery and money corruption are taking place. This gentleman was questioned on land grabbing and corruption, so he lost his temper," he told ANI.
More details
BRS's response amid political backlash
Meanwhile, BRS spokesperson Shravan Dasoju alleged that the saffron brigade candidate had provoked the MLA by referring to his father during the live debate.
Goud should not have started the argument by "attacking" Vivekanand's parents in the first place, and the ruling party MLA should not have assaulted his opponent, he added.
"Both could have been sensible and realized the whole world is watching them," Dasoju told PTI.
Further details
Details on upcoming Telangana assembly polls
At least 500 people attended the event, and 30 police officers were deployed at the location, The News Minute reported, citing an NTV reporter.
Assembly polls in Telangana are scheduled for November 30, with the state set to witness an intriguing triangular contest between the BRS, BJP and Congress.
During the 2018 state assembly elections, the BRS bagged 88 of the 119 seats and secured 47.4% of the total vote share. Meanwhile, Congress finished a distant second with 19 seats.