The Osmania University has denied permission to All India Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s visit to the campus for an interaction with students on August 14.
In a three-line communique to OU students joint action committee, OU authorities said the university was declining the request made by the student organisations regarding Rahul Gandhi’s visit “due to security issues as he is under special security coverage.”
The OU JAC leaders on August 4 made a written request to OU vice-chancellor Prof S Ramachandram seeking permission for Rahul’s interaction with a restricted number of university students at Tagore Auditorium on the campus.
OU JAC leaders said they had invited Rahul as he had also played a key role in the Telangnaa formation.
“It was nothing to do with the Congress party and purely a non-political meeting. It would be an academic interaction with the students on issues concerning the students of Telangana. There was no reason why permission should not be given,” a JAC leader said.
He alleged that the University authorities had rejected permission only under the pressure of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi government headed by chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.
“The OU students had earlier protested the visit of KCR during the university centenary celebrations and taken out rallies against the government. That is why the government has been bringing pressure on the OU authorities to deny permission to Rahul,” Roy said.
A few days ago, Telangana Rashtra Students Vedika, affiliated to the TRS, issued a statement, saying it would obstruct the visit of Rahul to OU campus. But all the other student unions, including those affiliated to the Left parties, welcomed Rahul’s visit to the campus.
Apparently, this promoted the authorities to deny the permission fearing that it might lead to law and order issue on the campus.
The university last year took a decision not to allow any political activity including meetings on the campus.
Osmania was the hotbed of the separate Telangana movement from 2009 till the statehood was accorded in 2014.
Anti-Congress slogans used to resound amid the sounds of teargas shells and rubber bullets on the campus all those years.
