Hyderabad, Sep 13 (IANS): Politics in Telangana heated up over defecting MLAs as opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leaders and workers were taken in preventive custody by the police on Friday to foil the planned protest at the residence of defected MLA Arekapudi Gandhi in Hyderabad.

Senior BRS leader and former minister T. Harish Rao, and former ministers P. Sabitha Indra Reddy and T. Srinivas Yadav have been placed under house arrest.

Kukatpally MLA M. Krishna Rao and Qutbullahpur MLA K. P. Vivekanand Goud have also been placed under house arrest as police in Hyderabad, Cyberabad and Rachakonda commissionrates went on alert to prevent any violence in retaliation to Thursday’s attack on the residence of BRS MLA Padi Kaushik Reddy by the supporters of Gandhi.

Police personnel were deployed in large numbers outside the residence of Gandhi to prevent any untoward incident as Kaushik Reddy, in retaliation to the attack on his house, announced that the party would hold a meeting at Gandhi’s residence.

Kaushik Reddy, a BRS MLA from Huzurabad in Karimnagar district, had announced that he along with party workers of Greater Hyderabad and combined Rangareddy district led by Medchal-Malkajgiri district president Shambipur Raju would proceed to Gandhi’s residence to hold a party meet there.

As BRS leaders and workers on Friday started gathering at Shambipur Raju’s residence to take out a rally to reach Gandhi’s house, police stepped up security to foil any protest and maintain law and order.

Police have also beefed up security at the residence of Kaushik Reddy to prevent him and his supporters from proceeding to Gandhi’s house.

Gandhi, an MLA from the Serilingampally constituency in Greater Hyderabad, was elected on a BRS ticket but joined the ruling Congress party in July. His recent appointment as chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the state Assembly has triggered a row amid the legal fight by BRS for the disqualification of all 10 of its MLAs who defected to the Congress party since March.

As Gandhi stated that he was still with BRS, Kaushik Reddy announced that he would visit his residence, hoist the party flag, and offer him a BRS scarf. This led to a bitter war of words between the two leaders with Gandhi accepting his challenge and daring him to come to his house. On Thursday, Gandhi along with his supporters reached Kaushik Reddy’s house in Kondapur and dared him to come out. Gandhi’s supporters barged into the premises and damaged window panes and flower pots.

Police detained Gandhi and his supporters. They were booked for unlawful assembly, rioting and trespass.

A case against Kaushik Reddy was also filed for allegedly threatening a police officer at Cyberabad Police Commissioner’s office where he had gone along with other BRS leaders to demand action against Gandhi for the attack on his residence.