Drug row triggers fresh political slugfest in Telangana as Congress asks KTR for a drug test and the latter agrees

The issue of drug consumption, which had emerged as a major campaign plank ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections, has returned to haunt the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), triggering a fresh political confrontation between the ruling Congress and the opposition party.

The controversy erupted after former BRS MLA Pilot Rohith Reddy and his associates, including a TDP Member of Parliament from Andhra Pradesh, were allegedly found to have consumed drugs at a party hosted at the BRS leader’s farmhouse in Moinabad on the outskirts of Hyderabad.

According to officials, eleven people were detained during a late-night raid at the farmhouse. Among those detained were TDP MP from Eluru, Putta Mahesh Yadav and Rohith Reddy. Some of them tested positive, and the police are waiting for the final lab reports. Police said one of the detainees allegedly opened fire, discharging three rounds upon noticing the raiding team. No injuries were reported.

The episode has quickly snowballed into a political flashpoint. Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president Mahesh Kumar Goud accused the BRS of fostering a culture of drug consumption during its tenure. He said the Congress government, since assuming office, had constituted special ‘EAGLE’ teams to curb narcotics with an iron hand.

Seizing on the controversy, Mr. Goud challenged BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao to undergo a drug test before the commencement of the Assembly session on Monday. The move is widely seen as an attempt by the Congress to corner the BRS and revive allegations made during the 2023 Assembly election campaign that Mr. Rama Rao, who served as IT and Municipal Minister in the BRS government, had failed to check the alleged spread of drug culture in Hyderabad.

Responding swiftly, Mr. Rama Rao took to X (formerly Twitter) to accept the challenge and strongly condemn drug use, particularly by those in public life. “Drugs create monsters out of human beings. It is unfortunate that even people in responsible positions are resorting to drug usage,” he posted.

Declaring that he is ‘strictly against drugs and usage of illicit substances’, Mr. Rama Rao asserted that the BRS condemns drug consumption and any illegal activities. “Anyone using and peddling drugs should be strictly punished as per the law irrespective of their political affiliation,” he said.

However, he objected to what he termed as attempts to drag the BRS into the controversy for political mileage. “Using the drug case to settle scores with BRS is a reflection of your disgusting politics,” he said, while reiterating his readiness to undergo any test. He also proposed that public representatives from all political parties should take the test to ‘lead by example’.

Mr. Rama Rao warned that any attempt to link his name to every drug-related case would be met with legal notices.

With the Assembly session set to begin, the drug episode has reignited a politically sensitive issue that dominated discourse in the run-up to the last elections. Whether the latest developments will impact the Assembly sessions remains to be seen. But for now, the war of words between Congress and BRS continues.