Hyderabad, Jan 12 (IANS): An official review meeting in Telangana’s Karimnagar district was disrupted after BRS MLA Padi Kaushik Reddy entered into an altercation with Jagtial MLA Dr Sanjay Kumar, who defected from the BRS to the Congress last year.

When Sanjay Kumar was speaking during the meeting held to review the development works in the united Karimnagar district, Kaushik Reddy stood up to ask which party he represents.

He demanded that Sanjay Kumar should not be allowed to speak till he clarified which party he belonged to.

This led to a heated argument between the two.

Kaushik Reddy, who represents Huzurnagar constituency, went up to Sanjay Kumar and tried to snatch the mike from him. The two MLAs nearly came to blows.

Other leaders attending the meeting tried to pacify them but Kaushik Reddy refused to relent. The police had to intervene and whisk Kaushik Reddy out of the meeting hall to bring the situation under control.

The commotion happened in the presence of ministers Ponnam Prabhakar, Sridhar Babu, and Uttam Kumar Reddy.

Kaushik Reddy later told media persons that Sanjay Kumar should resign as MLA and contest the by-election.

The Congress has slammed Kaushik Reddy for his misbehaviour during the meeting.

Congress MLC Balmuri Venkat alleged that Kaushik Reddy is doing crazy things just to be seen in the media. The MLC said that the BRS betrayed Dalits. He said BRS party leaders deceived the people by promising to make Dalits the Chief Minister and not providing funds to SC Corporation.

Meanwhile, BRS Working President K. T. Rama Rao has taken potshots at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over defections. In a post on X, the BRS leader referred to two news reports about Congress. While one report was about Rahul Gandhi and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s likely participation in the Samvidhan Bachao rally in Hyderabad, another report was about Congress Telangana President B. Mahesh Kumar’s statement that more BRS MLAs are expected to join the Congress after Sankranti.

"Samvidhan Bachao (Save the Constitution) Rally by RG in Hyderabad. PCC president says Congress will flout the same Constitution & induct more BRS MLAs. What a great way to save Constitution Rahul Gandhi Ji,” taunted Rama Rao.

Ten BRS MLAs have defected to Congress since the latter came to power in December 2023.