Not even six months into office in Telangana, the Congress party is witch-hunting social media activists in the state and BRS party cadre with false cases. The latest incidents indicate that the Congress is trying to scare their political opponents and questioning voices by misusing their power.
Instead of addressing the issues, the Congress government is targeting those who expose them. The arrest of BRS social media convenor Krishank and a case against Telangana Digital Media former Director Dileep Konatham adds fuel to the fire. Two days ago, an FIR was filed against Dileep Konatham merely for posting an infographic made by a popular Telugu news channel on the RTC logo.
On Wednesday, many media outlets shared news that the RTC had changed its logo and posted the same. However, the RTC management later clarified that it was fake news. Based on the news reports, Dileep Konatham, other social media activists, the public, and BRS supporters questioned CM Revanth Reddy for removing Kakatiya Kala Thoranam and Charminar from the purported new logo.
Rather than acting on the news agencies for carrying unverified news, the Congress filed a politically motivated case against Dileep Konatham and BRS activist Harish Reddy. Both of them were booked just for sharing a logo that was in the public domain, while the party tried to project it as if they had created and circulated the logo. Ironically, Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar’s PRO shared the same logo in the media WhatsApp groups.
Surprisingly, this complaint against Dileep Konatham comes at a time when he lodged a complaint with the Election Commission on the violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by the social media handles of the CM’s office. In the letter, Dileep highlighted how the Telangana CMO blatantly violated the election code by posting updates while the MCC was still in force.
The former Digital Media Director alleges that the Revanth Reddy government is trying to muzzle questioning voices and says he won’t bow down to such pressure tactics. Dileep Konatham served as the Telangana Digital Media Director for almost 10 years, introduced many novel initiatives in the Telangana government’s digital space, and won several national awards. Dileep left his high-paying corporate job to participate in the Telangana movement and played an active role in the statehood struggle. Through his writings, articles, and speeches, Dileep Konatham was one of the strongest voices during the movement.