Congress gripes about withdrawal of security cover to its netas

Hyderabad: The Congress party has expressed suspicion that there is a political strategy behind the government withdrawing gunmen to the party leaders.

The Congress leaders alleged that the government had withdrawn gunmen to former Ministers, former MLAs and other leaders to prevent them from touring their respective areas and thus denting their morale.

The leaders wrote letters to the government and to the Director General of Police to restore gunmen to them. The party is contemplating further action if the government failed to restore the gunmen to them.

Recently the government has withdrawn security to former Deputy Chief Minister Damodar Raja Narasimha, former MP V Hanumantha Rao and senior leader Nagam Janardhan Reddy, besdies several former Ministers and former MLAs.

Apart from this the police have also withdrawn the security cover to Komatireddy Venkat Reddy and SA Sampath Kumar whose membership of the Assembly has been restored by the High Court after their expulsion from the House.

The two MLAs have requested the government several times to restore security for them. They have also filed a contempt petition in the court as the government did not restore the facilities which are provided to MLAs.

Party senior leader Janardhan Reddy filed a case in the court to direct the government to restore security to him. The court has responded positively and directed the government to restore gunmen to him.

TPCC working president Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka said the government has withdrawn the gunmen to their party leaders as part of a political strategy on the part of the ruling party to crush the Congress in the state.

He said the TRS did not want the Congress leaders to freely mingle with the people and take up anti-government agitations. It has been planning to intimidate the party leaders. He said CLP leader K Jana Reddy had written to the government to continue the security cover for the leaders.

When the Congress leaders submitted memorandum to the DGP, he said that the decision to withdraw gunmen was taken as per the recommendations of the official committee. The Congress leaders alleged that recommendations to withdraw gunmen to the party leaders were the handiwork of the ruling party. They said that TRS leaders have been bringing pressure on the police to withdraw security.

They said that several leaders of the party have been facing the threat of Maoists in the State. Leaders from rural areas have a serious threat to their lives. A few leaders also have been facing threat from ruling party leaders. The security cover, which was provided to these leader for over a decade, was suddenly withdrawn, the Congress leaders said.