Gandhi Bhavan turns battleground as Congress leaders clash over protocol

Metro India News | Hyderabad 

Tension erupted at Telangana Congress headquarters Gandhi Bhavan after Congress leaders clashed during a Hyderabad Parliamentary constituency review meeting on Tuesday. The situation turned chaotic as leaders engaged in a heated argument and physical scuffle in the presence of ministers and senior party leaders.

The meeting was organised to discuss the party’s position and future strategy in the Hyderabad Parliamentary constituency. However, shortly after the meeting began, a dispute reportedly broke out over protocol issues.

Nampally Congress in-charge Feroz Khan and Karwan constituency leader Osman Al Hajri were involved in a heated verbal exchange that soon escalated into pushing and shirt-grabbing. The leaders reportedly lost their tempers in front of ministers and party workers, leading to commotion inside the meeting hall.

As the argument intensified, Osman Al Hajri allegedly slapped Feroz Khan, causing him to fall down. Senior Congress leader and government adviser V. Hanumantha Rao tried to intervene and calm the leaders. During the chaos, he was also reportedly pushed aside before party workers stepped in to prevent the situation from worsening further.

The clash took place in the presence of Ministers Ponnam Prabhakar and Mohammed Azharuddin. Despite repeated efforts by senior leaders to pacify both sides, the argument continued for some time. With tensions rising, Minister Ponnam Prabhakar announced that the meeting was being concluded midway and left the venue. The incident created confusion and tense scenes at Gandhi Bhavan.

Later, Karwan Congress in-charge Osman Al Hajri reacted to the incident and said he had apologised to Feroz Khan. He described the clash as a minor disagreement between brothers and said such incidents happen within a family. “We are all part of the Congress family. People saw me pushing him, but they should also see what happened before that,” he said.

Feroz Khan also termed the incident a misunderstanding. He said the issue began over seating arrangements on the stage and who would sit beside the minister. According to him, Osman Al Hajri was like an elder brother and there was no major issue between them.

Meanwhile, Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, while addressing the meeting earlier, alleged that the Central government was attempting to remove voters’ names illegally from electoral rolls under the “SIR” exercise.