Tension arose near the Telangana State Assembly when police arrested BJP Legislative Party Leader A Maheshwar Reddy. He had stepped out to support the leaders and activists of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), who were protesting against the state government’s decision to sell 400 acres of University of Hyderabad (UoH) land.
BJP leaders accused the police of violating Reddy’s rights by arresting him and taking him to different locations in the city. In response, BJP MLAs A Maheshwar Reddy, Payal Shankar, Rama Rao Patel, Palvai Harish, and Danpal Suryanarayana staged a protest inside the Assembly premises, criticizing the Congress-led government.
Earlier, BJYM members attempted to surround the Assembly, demanding that the government revoke its decision to sell UoH land. However, police detained the protesters to stop them from reaching the Assembly, which was in session for the budget discussions on Tuesday.
BJYM State President Sevilla Mahender led the protest, accusing the Congress party of trying to sell university land for commission. He claimed that while the government promised development, it was instead selling public lands rather than using them for welfare projects benefiting Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Backward Classes (BC).
Mahender further explained that the central government had sanctioned a university for Telangana under the Mulki Rules, and the then-state government allocated 2,300 acres for it. He emphasized that the land, once filled with hills, rocks, and trees, had transformed into a top university in the country, making Telangana proud. The BJYM alleged that the current government was conspiring with real estate interests to auction off university land.
Protesters recalled that the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government had also attempted to seize university land by building roads on the property. They warned that if the Congress government did not withdraw its proposal, BJYM would launch a statewide agitation to protect UoH land.
Several BJP leaders, including State Vice Presidents Mahesh, Chittaranjan, Kumar Yadav, and Tarun Reddy, along with State General Secretaries Ganesh and Samala Pawan, and State Secretaries Praveen and Ashok, joined the protest.
