Former BRS MP Balka Suman arrested over 'militant activity' remarks

Hyderabad: Former BRS MP Balka Suman was arrested by the police on Saturday over his recent alleged remarks urging activists of the party's trade union in state-run miner Singareni Collieries to engage in "militant activity," including burning down the office and cutting railway tracks, to regain the workers' confidence.

Suman, also a former MLA, was arrested and will be produced before a local court, a police official told PTI.

Earlier in the day, police took him away from the BRS headquarters here, amid sloganeering by party workers.

A case was registered against Suman at the Nampally police station here following a complaint by a Singareni official over his comments earlier this week.

When police reached the BRS office as part of the inquiry, party workers raised slogans against the Congress government and Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy.

Speaking to reporters before police took him away, Suman alleged that the Congress government was harassing him with cases as he has been vocal against its "anti-people policies".

However, he said he would cooperate with the police as a law-abiding citizen.

In his address at a party meeting earlier this week, Suman said the response of farmers and labourers was inadequate to the protest programmes called by the BRS.

"If TBGKS (Telangana Boggu Gani Karmika Sangham- Telangana coal workers union) is to regain its past glory in the coal belt area, you have to engage in militant activity. Meetings and speeches won't suffice. Organise a programme in the Mandamarri area, and we will burn down (Singareni Collieries) GM's office. We will be in jail for a month if need be," Suman said.

Workers would "own" the union if they see that the union is fighting for their interests, including police cases and lathi charges, he had said.

The comments triggered a political row with Union Minister Kishan Reddy condemning it, while ruling Congress leaders lodged complaints with the state DGP and in police stations seeking action against him.

Later, Suman sought to clarify that his call for "militant action" was to press the government into action, as the government is "indulging in scams" and not implementing any welfare schemes in the state-run miner Singareni Collieries.