Hyderabad: BRS Working President KT Rama Rao strongly criticized the Congress-led Telangana government for its actions against students of Hyderabad Central University (HCU). He accused the government of using force against students who are protesting to protect the university’s land.
Speaking to the media after meeting the protesting students at Telangana Bhavan on Monday, Rama Rao condemned the State’s behavior. He also questioned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for not speaking out on the issue, despite his history of supporting environmental causes.
The students told KTR that the government is trying to take over 400 acres of HCU land under the excuse of development. They sought his help in their protest. In response, KTR promised full support from the BRS and accused Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s government of putting real estate interests ahead of students’ welfare, environmental protection, and the city’s future.
KTR said the Congress government was using “bulldozer politics” by sending heavy machinery to cut down trees and remove wildlife from the university’s land. He asked why the government was in such a hurry to turn this green area into a concrete space worth Rs 30,000 crore.
He also stressed the importance of the area’s greenery, pointing out that Western Hyderabad, including Gachibowli and the Financial District, has already lost much of its green cover. He said HCU and the nearby areas are among the few green spaces left. Destroying them without proper environmental checks is harmful to the city’s future. He warned that Hyderabad could end up like Delhi, where clean air has become rare.
Rama Rao also criticized Rahul Gandhi directly. He questioned why Gandhi, who has spoken out about protecting forests in Mumbai and Chhattisgarh and visited HCU in the past, is now silent when his own party’s government is acting against students and the environment.
