Two BRS MLCs Arrested Following Derogatory Remarks Against Telangana Assembly Speaker

Hyderabad police arrested Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLCs Thatha Madhusudan and N Naveen Kumar Reddy on Tuesday. The arrests follow allegations that the leaders made derogatory remarks against Telangana Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar. The two were booked under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act because the Speaker belongs to the Scheduled Caste community. Mr. Madhu was arrested from the MLA quarters and Mr. Reddy was taken into custody from his residence at Kokapet. Both were moved to the Saifabad police station for further investigation.

The incident occurred during the Assembly's monsoon session on Monday, September 7, 2026. BRS legislators had attempted to enter the Assembly wearing black t-shirts with slogans stating that the Congress government failed to deliver promises in 1,000 days. Police prevented them from entering due to a dress-code order. During the resulting scuffle, the BRS members were allegedly manhandling police and abusing officers. The Saifabad Police Station registered cases against multiple BRS leaders, including Harish Rao, Sudheer Reddy, Kamalakar, and Koushik Reddy, for allegedly assaulting police and violating the dress code.

The ruling Congress, BJP, and MIM condemned the remarks against the Speaker. Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy stated that personal attacks on the constitutional authority of the Speaker would not be tolerated. In response, the BRS alleged that the government is targeting its leaders. Center-left sources framed the event as a political confrontation between the ruling party and the opposition, while center sources focused on the legal specifics of the arrests and the SC/ST Act.