RR leads protest in Kodangal

Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Wednesday led a rally and dharna in Kodangal to protest the detention of Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and others in New Delhi during a demonstration over paper leaks and issues concerning students.

The Chief Minister, who was visiting his Assembly constituency in Vikarabad district, joined party leaders and workers in a rally through Kodangal town. The march, carrying Congress flags and banners, culminated in a dharna near the Ambedkar statue.

Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders were detained on Tuesday when they were staging a protest outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence against paper leaks and the "attack" on students.

Addressing the dharna, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy condemned the detention of top Congress leaders and termed it an attack on democracy. He alleged that Prime Minister Modi and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan were playing with the future of lakhs of students.

He demanded that PM Modi sack Dharmendra Pradhan from the Union Cabinet and warned that if the PM fails to do this, the fight from ‘sadak to sansad’ will continue.

The Chief Minister said that the NEET exam paper was sold for lakhs of rupees in BJP-ruled states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. He alleged the involvement of BJP leaders in the paper leak.

He said students from across the country had been demanding the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan and punishment for those responsible for the paper leak.

Revanth Reddy alleged students protesting in the national capital were lathicharged by police, injuring hundreds of protestors. He claimed that several students disappeared after the police action.

He said when Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi came out in support of the protesting students and staged a peaceful protest in front of PM Modi’s residence, they were detained and manhandled by police, resulting in bleeding injuries. He termed the detentions as an assault on the democratic right to protest.

The Chief Minister alleged that PM Modi brought pressure on Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to stall debate on NEET paper leak in the Parliament. He stated that the Gandhi family is known for sacrifices and pointed out that former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi laid down their lives for the country.

Calling BJP ‘British Janata Party’, Revanth Reddy said the BJP leaders were successors of Nathuram Godse, the assassin of the father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi. “We are successors of Gandhi ji. This is not the fight between BJP and Congress, but it’s a fight between successors of Godse and Gandhiji,” he said.

He exuded confidence that the BJP will be defeated in the next elections and Rahul Gandhi will become the Prime Minister.