Hyderabad police arrested two journalists from their homes at 5 AM on Wednesday for sharing a video in which a farmer spoke about his struggles under the Congress government. Senior journalist Revathi and her colleague Tanvi Yadav were detained over the alleged “controversial” clip posted on YouTube and social media. Their early morning arrest has drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties, with BJP and BRS leaders condemning the Revanth Reddy-led Congress government for resorting to what they termed “Emergency-era tactics” to suppress dissent.
BRS working president KT Rama Rao said the crackdown on journalists reminded him of the “Emergency-era actions of the Congress.” He lashed out at the government, saying, “The arrest of journalists for merely posting a video of a farmer speaking about his hardships is the peak of dictatorial governance. BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya also condemned the arrests, accusing Revanth Reddy of treating the Chief Minister’s office like a monarchy.
Calling the arrest an outright assault on press freedom Malviya added, this isn’t the first time Congress has hunted down journalists who ask uncomfortable questions or expose the truth. In Rajasthan, they misused their government to target and harass multiple journalists simply for doing their job. KCR also had similar misgivings. People of Telangana will soon put him in place.
BRS MLC Kavitha also slammed the Congress, saying, “Congress has been resorting to intimidating tactics against anyone who is speaking against the government. I don’t think these tactics will work for a long time”. She further accused the Telangana government of failing to deliver on its promises, calling the Governor’s speech a bogus speech and PR stunt. Senior BRS leader Harish Rao questioned whether Telangana was under democracy or dictatorship, denouncing the arrests as proof of the government’s insecurity. “This government responds to uncomfortable questions with arrests.
