Hyderabad: Minister of state for home affairs and Secunderabad member of Parliament G. Kishan Reddy on Thursday refused to respond to questions on the inflammatory comments made by Telangana Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) state president Bandi Sanjay Kumar, who had said that earlier that a “surgical strike” would be made on Hyderabad if the BJP wins the upcoming Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections.
Reddy, during the release of the BJP’s manifesto for the GHMC elections, did not respond to questions on the matter when asked by reporters. When asked about Rohingya refugees living in Hyderabad and their status, Reddy said, “There are many Rohingyas in Hyderabad and the Telangana state government has done all the paperwork on them and have submitted it to the central government, which is reviewing all the details of Rohingyas across the country. Soon the BJP government is going to take a decision on them.”
In its manifesto, the Telangana unit of the BJP has also promised free electricity, free water and free transportation to women in Hyderabad.
The “GHMC 2020 manifesto” was released by former Maharashtra chief minister and Bihar election in-charge, Devendra Fadnavis, in Hyderabad. The elections to Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) will be held on December 1, and the counting of votes will take place on December 4.
Sanjay Kumar, during a campaign earlier this week, also accused the All India Majilis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, led by Hyderabad Lok Sabha MP Asaduddin Owaisi, of sheltering Rohingya Muslim refugees, who are from Myanmar. The BJP state president also, perhaps out of ignorance, alluded that they are from Pakistan.
On Thursday, reacting to chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao’s (KCR) statement said that the state government has “definite inputs” of some “frustrated and desperate forces conspiring to create communal tensions”, Kishan Reddy said said that KCR should reveal the source, or information, about whoever is trying to disturb the city.