A day after a Bharat Rashtra Samithi MLA was arrested over an altercation during an official meeting, the party on Tuesday accused the Congress of abusing its power in Telangana, reported The Indian Express.

The MLA, Padi Kaushik Reddy, got conditional bail on Tuesday but was directed by a judicial magistrate in Karimnagar to appear before the police when called for questioning.

The police arrested Reddy on Monday in two cases filed against him for allegedly creating a ruckus during a district review committee meeting in Karimnagar on January 12, The Hindu reported. A heated argument had broken out during the meeting between him and Jagtial MLA Sanjay Kumar, who switched to the state’s ruling Congress from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi in June.

Reddy, the MLA from Huzurabad, was said to have repeatedly interrupted Kumar and asked him to clarify which party he belonged to. He was booked for assault or criminal force against a public servant, among other sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

“I have been charged with obstructing the Revenue Divisional Officer [RDO]” the Huzurabad MLA said, according to The Indian Express. “The entire media was there. I do not even know who the official is. I just asked the MLA which party he belongs to.”

Earlier on Tuesday, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi claimed several of its leaders, including KT Rama Rao and T Harish Rao, were placed under “house arrest”. Visuals shared by ANI showed a large number of police personnel outside Rao’s home in Hyderabad.

The police have are yet to comment on the matter.

Padi Kaushik Reddy told The Indian Express: “The Congress talks about Rahul Gandhi and the Constitution, but here in Telangana, they violate its provisions every other day.”

KT Rama Rao described the Telangana government’s actions as heinous and said that filing “illegal” cases and arresting Bharat Rashtra Samithi leaders had become commonplace under the rule of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.

Harish Rao also alleged that the Congress was misusing power, engaging in political vendetta and violating legal procedures. He claimed that the case against Reddy was fabricated and that the police were being used for political persecution.

“The Supreme Court has repeatedly stated that station bail should be granted for bailable offences,” Harish Rao said. “Yet, the police are acting like dacoits, making late-night arrests even for trivial matters.”