Several Congress leaders, including Munugode legislator Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy, were taken into preventive custody at various places, in the wake of coinciding developments planned at the Munugode constituency headquarters on Wednesday.
The Congress leader had given a call to his cadre to come out in large numbers to protest and demand implementation of the proposed Dalit Bandhu scheme in Munugode along with Huzurabad, where the government intends to launch on a pilot-basis.
Distribution of new ration cards was also planned at Munugode, where Energy Minister G. Jagadish Reddy was the chief guest.
Mr. Rajagopal Reddy was taken into custody on the outskirts of Hyderabad, local arrests were made in Nalgonda and Munugode, and the programme venue and the mandal headquarters were fortified with police personnel.
The preventive arrests to maintain law and order assumed attention in view of the on-stage spat between Congress and TRS leaders in Choutuppal on Monday, following which the Choutuppal police had booked cases against Congress leaders.
According to Mr. Rajagopal Reddy, who later spoke to the media, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, under the guise of Dalit empowerment, was using Dalits for Huzurabad by-poll. He demanded that the scheme be implemented across the State at the same time.
Meanwhile, Bhongir MP Komatireddy Venkat Reddy condemned the arrests.
Mr. Jagadish Reddy, however, affirmed that development in Munugode, along with the State, was being carried out irrespective of constituency leaders and party affiliation.
He said Mission Bhagiratha was ideated because of drinking water issue and fluorosis in Munugode, and the Yadadri Mega Power Plant and Green Industrial Park at Malkapur were also indices of development.