In what can be considered a reminiscent of the infamous “Kodi Kathi” incident of attack on YSR Congress party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, months before the 2019 assembly elections, there was a similar attack on a Telangana MP from Medak Kotha Prabhakar Reddy on Monday.
Prabhakar Reddy, who is contesting the assembly elections from Dubbak on Bharat Rashtra Samithi ticket, was attacked by a miscreant who stabbed him in the stomach during the election campaign at Surampally village of Doulatabak mandal in Siddipet district in the afternoon.
The MP was coming out of the house of a pastor as part of the door-to-door election campaign, when the assaulter, identified as Dattani Raju attacked him and stabbed him once on the right side of his stomach.
Immediately, the BRS workers and locals apprehended Raju who is said to be from Cheppyala village working for a YouTube channel. They thrashed him before handing over to the police.
Reddy, who sustained a stab injury on the right side of the stomach, was rushed to the Gajwel Hospital in his own car and after the initial treatment, he was shifted to Yashoda Hospital in Hyderabad. His condition is stable.
BRS president and chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, who was at an election meeting at Jukkal in Nizamabad, strongly condemned attack on Prabhakar Reddy and alleged that it was a conspiracy by the rival parties.
State finance minister T Harish Rao condemned the attack and said his party would take the incident seriously and unearth any political conspiracy behind it. He rushed to the Gajwel hospital and called on the MP.
Stating that there was no place for such attacks in a democratic system, the minister said the MP was being shifted to Yashoda Hospitals, Secunderabad and added that the government would order a comprehensive inquiry into the incident.
State governor Tamilisai Soundararajan expressed shock over the attack on the Medak MP during an election campaign. She said violence has no place in democracy, and such incidents are a threat to the democratic process.
She asked Director General of Police Anjani Kumar to take stringent measures to investigate and ensure the safety of contesting candidates and campaigners during the election period.
“It is essential to maintain a peaceful and secure environment for free and fair elections,” she said and wished the MP a speedy recovery.
