Telangana Congress continued to raise the heat on Osmania University for denying permission to Rahul Gandhi’s proposed visit to the campus with the National Students Union of India (NSUI) staging protests at the Vice-Chancellor’s office while a group of students tried to gherao the Ministers’ Quarters.
TPCC working president and Sangareddy MLA T. Jayaprakash Reddy was arrested even as he expressed his wish to go and meet the NSUI activists who had been arrested on campus.
NSUI activists led by president Venkat Balmoor stormed into the OU administrative building and tried to barge into the locked Vice-Chancellor’s office. They broke glass panes of the door, raising slogans against the Vice-Chancellor and the government, alleging that the V-C was acting at the behest of the Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao.
Police personnel present at the venue took them into custody immediately and shifted them out of the campus. In the morning, student groups led by leaders Manavata Roy, Chanagani Dayakar and Pratap Reddy protested at the Ministers’ quarters in Banjara Hills demanding that the government should not pressurise the V-C. They were arrested and shifted to Banjara Hills police station.
Mr. Jagga Reddy, who has been entrusted with the responsibility of Rahul Gandhi’s meeting, reached the police station along with students and got into an argument with the police. He demanded that the police immediately release the arrested students. Later, when he announced that he would go to the OU campus to meet the arrested NSUI activists, he was detained at the police station itself. He said Mr. Gandhi’s visit had nothing to do with politics and he has been meeting students in various States over the last few years.
Senior leaders led by TPCC president A. Revanth Reddy, Bhongir MP Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, TPCC working president Mahesh Kumar Goud and Mallu Ravi demanded the immediate release of Mr. Jagga Reddy and allow him to visit the university.
Mr. Revanth Reddy said the government was terrified by the thought of Rahul Gandhi visiting the campus and attempts to stop him reflected nervousness on the Chief Minister’s part. He said he wouldn’t like to comment on student leaders-turned-MLAs, stating that they had sold their souls to KCR.
Later in the evening, AICC spokesperson Sravan Dasoju held a press conference and said the Chief Minister was scared that Rahul Gandhi’s visit to OU will lead to a nationwide debate on Telangana students’ issues.
