Explained: Why Osmania University is witnessing protests over Rahul Gandhi's visit

Osmania University (OU) in Telangana’s Hyderabad has denied Congress MP Rahul Gandhi to visit the campus.

The state Congress unit is preparing for a grand meeting of almost five lakh supporters in Warangal that will be attended by Gandhi on 6 and 7 May.

During his trip to Telangana, Gandhi is also scheduled to visit the Osmania University, which has been the epicentre of the separate statehood movement.

The party’s plans were met with obstacles as the university administration denied Gandhi permission to visit, saying that political meetings are not allowed to visit the campus.

Telangana Congress, however, has maintained they will take Rahul Gandhi to the campus to interact with students.

What is the ruckus? As the university administration denied Gandhi permission to visit, the Congress party alleged that the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) has conspired to disallow Gandhi from meeting the students in OU.

According to a report by India Today, police have arrested at least 18 workers of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), the Congress’ student wing, including its president B Venkat. It is alleged that the NSUI workers pelted stones after the university refused permission.

Congress MP Revanth Reddy condemned the arrests of NSUI and Youth Congress members saying, “Why are the KCR and KTR companies fearing Rahul Gandhi so much?"

Congress spokesperson Sravan also said, as reported by India Today, “KCR, KTR and the company should remember that it was because of Congress president Sonia Gandhi that Telangana state was achieved and all the power being enjoyed by KCR and his family is because of her.”

“Forgetting everything, how can they deny permission to Soniaji’s son, when he wanted to visit OU to find out about students’ and unemployed people’s problems?" questioned Sravan.

On Monday, Revanth Reddy asked party workers to put effigies of CM KCR in protest of the arrests of student leaders.

Youth Congress and NSUI leaders staged protests at the OU Arts College on Saturday, on the other hand the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and other student associations affiliated with the TRS-led counter protests.

What has the university said? The India Today reported, citing university sources, that no permission was denied.

It said that the NSUI was informed about the previous decision taken by the university executive council to deny permission for any political meeting within the campus.

Congress, in response, said that the proposed meeting organised by NSUI was completely “apolitical” and Rahul Gandhi only wanted to “interact with students to find out about their problems and not address any public meeting”. With inputs from agencies

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