BJP Counters BRS Criticism With Crime Data on Women’s Safety in Telangana

Political tensions escalated in Telangana on Monday after state BJP president N. Ramchander Rao accused the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) of using the POCSO case involving Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar’s son as a tool to politically attack the BJP. Addressing a meeting of party leaders and workers in Hyderabad, the senior BJP leader claimed the opposition was attempting to sensationalise the issue instead of allowing the legal system to function independently.

Ramchander Rao said the BJP would never support or protect anyone found guilty of wrongdoing, but clarified that no allegations had been made directly against Bandi Sanjay. He maintained that the matter should remain strictly within the ambit of law and should not be converted into a political controversy for electoral gains.

Defending the legal process followed by the accused, Rao stated that applying for anticipatory bail was a constitutional and legal right available to every citizen. He pointed out that Bandi Sanjay’s son surrendered before the police after his anticipatory bail plea was rejected. “If any offence has been committed, the law will take its own course,” he said.

The Telangana BJP chief alleged that the BRS was spending huge amounts on social media campaigns, wall posters and favourable media coverage to damage the BJP’s image in the state. He particularly targeted BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao (KTR) , accusing him of attempting to derive political mileage from an ongoing criminal investigation.

In a counterattack, Ramchander Rao raised concerns over the BRS government’s record on women’s safety during its ten-year tenure in Telangana. Citing official figures, he claimed that crimes against women increased by nearly 67 percent between 2014 and 2023. According to him, the number of such cases rose from around 14,147 in 2014 to 23,679 in 2023 , reflecting what he described as the previous government’s failure to ensure public safety.

He referred to several controversial incidents during the BRS regime, including the 2022 Jubilee Hills minor assault case and the 2019 Asifabad gang rape case , questioning why former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) or KTR had not resigned over those incidents.

Ramchander Rao also brought up the Delhi liquor policy case , pointing out that BRS MLC K. Kavitha had faced arrest in connection with the investigation. He accused the BRS of adopting “double standards” while criticising political opponents.

The BJP leader further alleged that the ruling Congress government and the BRS were functioning under a “secret understanding” to politically isolate the BJP in Telangana. He demanded faster investigations into alleged irregularities linked to the previous BRS administration, particularly in the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project and the Formula E race case .

Meanwhile, Bhageerath , son of Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar, continues to remain under judicial remand following his arrest in the POCSO case on May 16.