Hyderabad, Aug 27 (IANS) Police detained BRS Deputy Leader in Telangana Assembly, T. Harish Rao during a protest by government employees in support of their demands at Hanumakonda district Collectorate on Thursday.

Tension prevailed at the Collectorate as a scuffle broke out between the police and BRS cadres.

The Opposition party alleged that police behaved rudely towards former Minister Harish Rao and he was arrested without even being allowed to board a vehicle.

Police escorted Harish Rao on foot from the Collectorate to the police station. BRS cadres expressed outrage at the police’s conduct.

The protest was organised by Telangana Non-Gazetted Officers (TNGOs) Association and Harish Rao had reached there to show solidarity with them.

Earlier, Harish Rao was placed under house arrest at his Kokapet residence in Hyderabad ahead of his visit to Warangal to meet students of Government Polytechnic College in Warangal and extend solidarity to their agitation for withdrawal of government order 97 for merger of polytechnics with Young India Skills University.

The former minister, however, managed to evade police and leave for Hanumakonda. After showing solidarity with NGOs, he was to proceed for Government Polytechnic College in Warangal. However, police detained him.

Talking to media persons before he was detained, Harish Rao said Revanth Reddy’s government is the only one in the country to have kept six Dearness Allowance instalments pending.

He pledged the BRS party’s full support for the legitimate demands of government employees. He demanded that the government immediately resolve the issues faced by employees.

Harish Rao said during the elections, the Congress party promised to replace Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) with Old Pension Scheme (OPS).

Although nearly three years have passed since coming to power, the CPS has not been abolished, nor has there been any resolution regarding the Pay Revision Commission, he said.

He said that the BRS government had introduced the Employee Health Scheme with a contribution of just one per cent to ensure the health security of employees.

However, after the Congress government came to power, it increased that contribution to 1.5 per cent Deductions are being made from the salaries of both husband and wife if both are employed.

–IANS

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