Hyderabad, October 2026 : Telangana BJP President N. Ramchander Rao on Saturday defended police action against protesters demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, saying those allegedly violating administrative orders and attempting to disrupt public peace were being detained in accordance with the law.
Rao said the police were acting against individuals who had disregarded restrictions imposed on public gatherings. He also claimed that businessmen and shopkeepers had approached the Supreme Court seeking the removal of the protest site at Jantar Mantar.
“Those trying to disturb peace, create anarchy and violate the law by ignoring administrative directions for protests are being taken into custody by the police as per the law,” Rao said.
He alleged that some protesters were seeking to create violence and had openly expressed such intentions at a press conference. Rao criticised calls for “regime change”, arguing that governments should be changed through elections held every five years.
“People can fight on issues. Their intentions are dangerous, and the police are taking action,” he said, referring to the protests against the Chief Election Commissioner.
Rao's remarks came amid a political dispute over demonstrations seeking action against Gyanesh Kumar and the restrictions governing public gatherings in the national capital. The BJP has accused Opposition parties of escalating their demands from seeking the CEC's removal to calling for a change of government.
Rao criticises Emergency comparisons
Responding to comparisons between the police action and the Emergency imposed in India in 1975, Rao criticised remarks by former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
He pointed out that the Emergency had been imposed by the Congress government under former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and questioned why the party had taken that decision. His comments came as Opposition leaders raised concerns about restrictions on protests and the detention of demonstrators.
BJP leader backs restrictions on Connaught Place gathering
Meanwhile, BJP leader Parkash Reddy addressed the proposed hoisting of the National Flag at Connaught Place in Delhi, saying there was nothing wrong with displaying the Tricolour in a public park but warning that insulting the national flag was a punishable offence.
“There is nothing wrong with hoisting the National Flag in any park. However, insulting the Tricolour is a crime,” Reddy said.
He referred to a proposed protest by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which planned to hoist the National Flag at a park in Connaught Place. Reddy said Delhi Police had already issued notices prohibiting gatherings in the area, citing concerns over public inconvenience and potential law-and-order problems.
His remarks reflected the BJP's position that displaying the national flag was not itself prohibited, while public assemblies still had to comply with applicable restrictions and permission requirements.
BJP spokesperson targets Congress over ‘regime change’ remarks
BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari also criticised Congress leader P. Chidambaram for defending the use of the phrase “regime change”. Bhandari alleged that Opposition leaders had exposed what he described as their “anarchic intentions” and criticised their alleged inspiration from developments in Bangladesh.
The BJP leaders' statements came amid heightened political tensions over protests against the Chief Election Commissioner, restrictions on demonstrations in Delhi and competing claims about the intentions behind the agitation.
While the BJP defended the police action as enforcement of administrative orders, the controversy continued to fuel a broader political debate over protest rights, public order and the limits governing demonstrations in the national capital.
