Searches on BRS leaders’ houses trigger tension

Even as there is less than four day’s time left for the by-election in the Jubilee Hills Assembly constituency, there was heavy drama on Friday as the Election Commission’s Flying Squad conducted searches in the residences of BRS leaders Marri Janardhan Reddy and MLC Takkallapally Ravinder Rao on Friday.

Tension prevailed at the Moti Nagar residence of former MLA Marri Janardhan Reddy and also at the residence of Takkallapally Ravinder Rao after the flying squad pertaining to the Election Commission carried out searches from 7 am on Friday. The former MLA was not at home when the flying squad conducted the searches, as he was campaigning in the Rehmatnagar division of the Jubilee Hills constituency early in the morning.

Upon learning about the searches, Janardhan Reddy, along with his followers, rushed to his house. However, the police personnel present there did not allow the BRS leader to enter his house. Tension prevailed as the party activists protested against the police arguing that their leader was going into his house.

Later, speaking to the media, the Nagarkurnool former MLA Janardhan Reddy alleged that it was a vendetta politics by the Congress government. He said that this was deliberately done to defame him.

"They came at 7 am, took keys from the watchman and locked the house from inside and started checking. We wanted searches in the presence of the media. Who knows the police personnel may also get involved in the money distribution.

They may have come with money bags into my house and were trying to project as my money," said Janardhan Reddy.

Meanwhile, MLC Ravinder Rao objected to the searches conducted at his residence, pointing out that his house does not fall within the election-bound constituency. “My house is not in Jubilee Hills. How can they carry out searches here?” he said, alleging that the ruling party was behind a political conspiracy. He added that the authorities should have at least issued prior notice. “The government is resorting to such tactics because it knows the BRS is poised to win the Jubilee Hills segment,” he said.]\

It is learnt that the police have found nothing from the house of the BRS leaders. The police sources said that they had got information that huge money was being dumped in the houses of BRS leaders for distributing them to the voters. However, the squad could not find any money, said the sources.