Hyderabad: Labour and Mines Minister Dr. G. Vivek Venkatswamy strongly condemned the Balka Suman attack during the Chairman election at Kythanpalli Municipality and demanded immediate police action.
Speaking at a media conference at the Chennur MLA camp office on Tuesday, the Minister said BRS leader Balka Suman led a group of supporters to the venue despite the Model Code of Conduct being in force. He added that police had placed barricades at the site. However, Balka Suman and his followers allegedly attacked their vehicle.
The Minister said the incident left a police constable and a Congress party worker injured. He stated that he and Peddapalli MP Gaddam Vamsi Krishna had attended the oath-taking ceremony and Chairman election as co-option members to exercise their lawful voting rights. Instead, they were targeted during the Balka Suman attack.
Dr. Vivek asserted that the election process was conducted democratically without pressure or coercion. Nevertheless, he alleged that deliberate attempts were made to create unrest.
Police urged to act over Balka Suman attack
The Minister said video footage clearly showed the sequence of events. Therefore, he demanded that police immediately register a case against Balka Suman and initiate strict legal action. He also stated that moving in groups during the enforcement of the election code violated the law.
Dr. Vivek said they stepped out only after their councillor was attacked inside the municipal premises. He termed it unfortunate that Balka Suman was holding press conferences and making what he described as false allegations.
Criticising the political culture of the BRS, he recalled that democratic institutions were weakened during its regime. He also cited past incidents during the Telangana movement, including an attack on the residence of Prof. K. Kodandaram.
Dr. Vivek stated that since his election as MLA, he had not filed cases against any BRS worker or harassed them. He alleged that the Balka Suman attack reflected frustration following electoral defeats and urged him to refrain from hooliganism and respect democratic norms.
