Hyderabad, Jan 21 (IANS): BJP MP Eatala Rajender slapped a real estate agent in the Medchal-Malkajgiri district on Tuesday for "exploiting" the poor people by encroaching on their lands.
The Lok Sabha member from Malkajgiri slapped the man in Ekashila Nagar under Pocharam Municipality on the outskirts of Hyderabad.
Alleging that the real estate agent was exploiting the poor by encroaching on their lands, the former minister physically confronted him during a heated argument.
Emboldened by Rajender's action, his supporters and others accompanying him also thrashed the agent. The man was not identified and it was immediately not clear if he would approach the police over the assault.
The MP told the media that the BJP will stand by the poor people. He alleged that some officials have also colluded with real estate brokers to encroach on the land of the poor.
The BJP leader said he spoke to the District Collector and Police Commissioner about the land issue.
He stated that poor people in Narapalli and Korremula villages bought lands and built homes in 1985. He said 149 acres of unused land were resold multiple times, causing untold suffering to rightful owners.
Eatala claimed that false documents were created with the collusion of officials to encroach on the lands of the poor.
He demanded action against officials who helped brokers. The MP also claimed that some police officers also colluded with the agents.
He plans to take up the issue at the highest level.
Eatala also slammed the state Congress government, saying it was targeting only the houses of the poor by taking up demolitions at different places.
Eatala Rajender was earlier with the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS). He joined the BJP after he was dropped from the Cabinet in 2021 by then-chief minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao following allegations that he grabbed the lands of some farmers.
The former minister was re-elected to the Assembly from the Huzurabad constituency in 2021 by-election on a BJP ticket.
He could not retain the seat in the 2023 Assembly elections but was elected to Lok Sabha from Malkajgiri last year.