Karimnagar: A surcharged atmosphere prevailed here after activists of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti Vidhyarthi (TRSV), the students wing of the TRS, and BJP Yuva Morcha (BJYM) clashed at Telangana Chowk on Sunday.
Tension was prevailing in the district for the past few days as leaders of TRS and BJP were on a confrontation course and the two parties aiming to establish supremacy over each other. Notably, right from the beginning when Karimnagar MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar took charge as state BJP chief, he raised the political heat and started targeting Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao.
Senior leaders of the TRS hit back at the BJP leadership in the same manner. A few days ago, TRS and BJP leaders clashed with each other in Metpally and Korutla in Jagtial district over sharply critical comments made by TRS’ Korutla MLA K. Vidyasagar Rao, against the BJP and questioned the need to donate to the Ram mandir in Ayodhya.
Activists of both the parties came out onto the roads, staged dharnas, burned effigies and took out rallies across the united Karimnagar district in support of their leaders. On Sunday, when the TRSV leaders tried to burn an effigy of Sanjay, BJYM leaders confronted them. This led to a clash.
Police intervened and sought to restore calm. Two Town circle inspector Laxman Babu fell down while in action and TRSV leaders Ponnam Anil Kumar and Naradasu Vasanth Rao were injured. Activists of both sides were arrested and taken to the police station.
TRSV district unit president Ponnam Anil Kumar alleged that when students tried to burn the effigy in a “peaceful” manner, BJYM men attacked them from behind, and right in front of the cops. “We only acted in self-defence.” He said the “unparliamentary” language used by state BJP chief against the CM provoked them.
BJYM district unit president Boinapally Praveen alleged that when they were staging a protest against the TRS government, TRSV men tried to burn the effigy of BJP state chief. “We tried to stop it and they attacked us.” Instead of taking action against the TRSV leaders, the police arrested the BJYM leaders,” he said.
