HYDERABAD: The issue of Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy's detention by the police in Hyderabad on Thursday was escalated to the Rashtrapati Bhavan. In a letter addressed to the President of India, Draupadi Murmu, Kishan Reddy expressed concern over the incident, stating that he was "arrested despite clearly stating that his visit to Batasingaram was part of his published tour programme to inspect the progress of the two-bedroom housing scheme and not for any agitation or sit-in dharna."
The minister further said the arrest by the Telangana police hindered his ability to fulfil his duties as a Member of Parliament and as a Union minister.
In addition to the letter to the President, Kishan Reddy also wrote to the Lok Sabha Speaker, Om Birla, asserting that he considers his arrest a "breach of Privilege as per Rule No. 229 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha." He sought the Speaker's attention on this matter, highlighting the significance of the breach of privilege faced by a Lok Sabha member.
In his communication to the Lok Sabha Speaker, Kishan Reddy explained that his visit to Batasingaram was an official duty as a Union minister representing the Government of India and as a Lok Sabha member from Telangana. He emphasised that it is his responsibility to regularly monitor the progress of various Government of India schemes, including the PM Awas Yojana project. As a result, he had planned the visit to review the construction of houses under PMAY (urban).
The Union minister clarified that he had informed the police about his public tour programme beforehand, and as a 'Z Category Security' holder with elevated threat perception, he had taken precautions and shared his tour programme with the Director General of Police, Telangana, a day earlier.
Kishan Reddy asserted that the actions taken by the Rachakonda police commissioner and other police personnel were a clear violation of his privilege as a Lok Sabha member, as they failed to intimate the Speaker about the arrest, as required by the rules.
