Hyderabad: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president KT Rama Rao (KTR) has publicly invited Congress leader Rahul Gandhi back to the University of Hyderabad (UoH) to discuss urgent issues, such as the planned Rohith Vemula Act and recent environmental issues regarding land development in the Kancha Gachibowli area.
In a public statement posted on social media, KTR has referred to Gandhi’s earlier visit to UoH in 2016 when there was a tragic loss of Dalit student Rohith Vemula. He asked Gandhi about his silence regarding current issues concerning the university and its environment.
“Mr. @RahulGandhi visited HCU not once but twice in a month during the KCR government, where he was provided with all security and protection. He had protested along with the students demanding justice for Rohith Vemula. Now, the Congress government of Telangana won’t let us anywhere near the University of Hyderabad and sends police to stop us. Why this hypocrisy, Rahul Ji? What is your Govt hiding from the world?” he questioned.
Kancha Gachibowli row: IAS officer Smita Sabharwal questions ‘selective targeting’
Protests over Kancha Gachibowli
The row revolves around the Telangana government’s development work on a 400-acre plot of land in Kancha Gachibowli that has triggered protests by students and environmental activists. They allege that the deforestation at the Kancha Gachibowli land has led to the destruction of natural habitats and the displacement of wildlife.
The state government, however, asserts that the land is state-owned and that the redevelopment was carried out legally, emphasising that the project serves a public purpose.
Gandhi’s push for Rohith Vemula Act draws political fire
Rahul Gandhi recently called on Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy to implement the ‘Rohith Vemula Act,’ which seeks to ban caste discrimination in schools and colleges. In his letter, Gandhi called for legislative intervention to safeguard marginalised students, citing the deaths of Rohith Vemula, Payal Tadvi, and Darshan Solanki as reflective of systemic failures.
BRS leaders such as T Harish Rao have condemned Gandhi’s style of politics, blaming him for selective politics. Rao said, “Rahul Gandhi has ‘tears flowing still over the 2016 UoH incident of Rohith Vemula’s death, but with respect to 2025, all he has is silence,” pointing to Gandhi’s silence on the present Kancha Gachibowli land issue.
