Lok Sabha Committee of Privileges has served notices to Telangana chief secretary, home secretary, director general of police and four other police officials in connection with the breach of privileges complaint by BJP MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar.

The officials have been directed to appear before the panel on February 3 to give oral evidence on a complaint by the Lok Sabha member from Karimnagar.

Bandi Sanjay Kumar complained to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on January 3 against Karimnagar Police Commissioner V. Satyanarayana and three other police officials of Karimnagar district for ‘forcefully arresting him in an illegal manner and for attempting to produce him before the court for remand in connection with filing of alleges false cases against him’.

Sanjay appeared before the 15-member Privileges Committee on Friday and explained how the police manhandled him. He urged the panel headed by Sunil Kumar Singh to take action against the police officers involved.

The Lok Sabha Committee of Privileges has issued notices to Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, Principal Secretary (Home) Ravi Gupta, Director General of Police M. Mahendar Reddy, Karimnagar Police Commissioner V. Satyanarayana, ACP Srinivasa Rao, DSP Prakash and inspector Lakshmi Babu.

Sanjay Kumar, who is also the president of BJP’s Telangana unit, was arrested by police in Karimnagar on the night of January 2 when he along with his supporters were sitting on a ‘night vigil’ to protest against a Government Order relating to transfer of government employees and teachers.

As the police denied permission for the protest in view of the restrictions on rallies, meetings and public gatherings to curb Covid-19 in the state, the MP along with his supporters locked themselves in MP’s camp office to stage the protest. Police broke into the office to arrest the MP. He was booked for violation of Disaster Management Act and for attacking policemen.

The next day, Sanjay was produced before a magistrate, who remanded him to judicial custody. Telangana High Court later struck down the MP’s remand and ordered his release.

The MP had alleged that the police commissioner and other officials acted in a high-handed manner and manhandled him. The police officers denied the allegations.

Why are key Velama leaders in the BJP slowly but surely becoming inactive? Why are they not visiting the party office even when VVIPs land in the state office? The insiders are now said to be making discreet enquiries about why they have become so inactive suddenly.

At a time when the BJP is going ballistic against KCR and his government in Telangana, the leaders from one particular caste are suddenly missing from action. Even when party state chief Bandi Sanjay was arrested, these leaders remained silent. This is now raising quite a few eyebrows.

BJP’s former incharge and currently Madhya Pradesh affairs incharge Muralidhar Rao did not visit the state party office even on a day when Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan viited. Similarly, a full-timer of the organisation in ABVP and the BJP for several decades and Khadi Village Industries South India incharge Perala Sekhar Rao too has not been visiting the party office. It is an open secret tht all is not well between Perala and Bandi Sanjay.

Party spokesperson Krishna Sagar Rao, who too is a Velama, has not issued even a single statement on Bandi Sanjay’s arrest. He has stopped visiting the state office of the party for quite some time. Similarly, another senior hand and former MLA Sankineni Venkateswara Rao too is keeping away from the party leadership and has not been visiting the BJP state office.

Why are these leaders, all from one caste, keeping away from the state office? What’s cooking? Let’s wait and see how things unfold.

Telangana BJP president Bandi Sanjay was released from Karimnagar district jail on Wednesday evening. He was arrested on Sunday night and sent to jail on Monday morning after Karimnagar district court rejected his bail and ordered 14-day judicial remand.

Sanjay remained in jail only for 48-hours. BJP national president JP Nadda visited Hyderabad on Tuesday and took part in a protest rally against Sanjay’s arrest. With this, Sanjay’s arrest attracted national headlines.

The BJP had planned to hold a protest rally every day until Sanjay completes his 14-day judicial remand in jail. It also called for Telangana Bandh on January 10 to gain maximum political mileage out of this issue and target KCR and TRS.

All these agitation programmes were cancelled after Sanjay came out on bail. Sanjay secured bail by approaching Telangana High Court. The High Court granted him bail on Wednesday.

Sanjay’s arrest gave ammunition to BJP to take on KCR and TRS in Telangana. But his release within two days minimised the political impact in Telangana that BJP has created.

BJP leaders and cadre are talking internally among themselves questioning where was the hurry for Sanjay to secure bail in a hurry from the High Court. They opined that it would have been better had Sanjay remained in jail at least for a week if not 14 days. It would have given an opportunity for BJP to garner the attention of media and people and to attack TRS and KCR every day by taking up various agitation programmes.

They feel that whatever political mileage they had gained with Sanjay’s arrest was lost with his release from jail in 48 hours.

They feel that his arrest was a plus for BJP but his release from jail in 48 hours became minus for BJP in Telangana.