The arrest of Telangana Bharatiya Janata Party president Bandi Sanjay by the Karimnagar police from his residence in the town after midnight has triggered statewide protests by BJP workers.
Hundreds of BJP workers were dispersed by the police using lathi-charge as they tried to stall Sanjay's arrest by the police.
He was shifted to Bommala Ramaram police station in Yadadri Bhongir district, where a large number of BJP workers staged a dharna and were lathi-charged.
A tense situation is prevailing across Telangana, as BJP workers staged dharnas all over the state and courted arrest.
The arrest of two BJP MLAs – M Raghunandan Rao and Eatala Rajender and the house arrest of several BJP leaders aggravated the situation.
Sanjay has lodged a complaint with the Lok Sabha Speaker’s office alleging that he was ‘arrested after midnight without a warrant,” while the BJP legal team has moved a lunch motion petition before the high court opposing the arrest.
According to party sources, the BJP national leadership has taken the arrest of Bandi Sanjay very seriously.
While BJP general secretary in-charge of Telangana affairs Tarun Chugh strongly condemned the arrest, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president JP Nadda enquired about the situation in the state.
Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy expressed unhappiness over the way Director General of Police Anjani Kumar replied to him, saying he had no information about the cases filed against Bandi Sanjay.
“This is the most irresponsible policing,” he reportedly complained to the Union Home Ministry.
This led to talk that the Centre might be contemplating imposition of President’s Rule in Telangana on the grounds of lawlessness in the state and the alleged witch-hunt of political opponents.
A team of BJP leaders, including former MP Konda Vishweshwar Reddy, Marri Shashidhar Reddy, and others, will be meeting Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan in Raj Bhavan in the evening to demand that she recommend President’s Rule in the state.
The Centre is also expected to call for a report from the Governor on the present political situation in the state, and depending on her report, the Centre might take a call on President’s Rule in the state, sources said.
