‘Burn govt offices, plan militant activities’: BRS leader Balka Suman’s remarks spark controversy, BJP denounces “violent call”

HYDERABAD: Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) leader and former MP Balka Suman on Tuesday sparked a political controversy after a video of him allegedly asking the party members to “burn down offices” and “plan militant activities” went viral on social media, receiving backlash from Congress and BJP.

In the video, the BRS leader said that the party members held a protest on the National Highway in solidarity with farmers. Reflecting on the significantly lower participation of farmers in the protest, Suman asked the party members to organise themselves and engage in activities, including burning down the General Manager’s office and Singareni Bhavan, planning militant activities, cutting off railway lines, etc to gain attention. He also asked the party members not to fear the judicial punishment.

“Are the farmers coming onto the roads? Yesterday, in Bheemaram, our people blockaded the National Highway. Only five farmers showed up; 60 to 70 of them were our own people. Earlier, near Kishtampeta in Chennur, they sat on the national highway, where only four or five of them were farmers. Again, a hundred of them were our own people, and the farmers are not showing up. We have to do militant activities”.

“It’s not about just talking, or holding meetings or press meets. Organise a programme in the Mandamarri division, let’s go and burn down the entire GM’s (General Manager’s) office. At worst, we will go to jail for a month. Therefore, you must seriously plan militant activities as well. If necessary, go to Singareni Bhavan and set it on fire and destroy it completely. That feeling should come, that sense of ownership should come for our union and our leadership. Therefore, plan militant activities. We have so many railway lines in our area, cut them off one day and organise a program, call it ‘Rail Roko’,” Suman said.

Criticising Suman’s remarks, Telangana BJP chief Ram Chander Rao said that such provocative statements will “disturb the democratic atmosphere” of the state. He denounced the “violent call” made by the BRS leader and said that the political party and its leaders should not engage in or encourage violence.

“The statement given by BRS leaders provoking the people to burn offices and other things is undemocratic. In politics, there should be a policy criticism, there should be an agitations against the government, but they should be peaceful. And such type of violent call is not good in democracy. And this is something provocative which will disturb the democratic atmosphere of a state”.

“Already we are seeing the abuses hurling against each other by both BRS and Congress party, and this type of statements will further vitiate the entire atmosphere in the Telangana state. Violence is not solution to anything. Violence also has to be not encouraged by any political party. Such attitude is not good in democracy,” he said. (ANI)