Telangana CM Revanth Reddy Ramps Up Criticism of Rahul Gandhi’s Arrest as Congress Cadre Flood Streets with Dharnas

On a humid evening in Hyderabad, news broke that Congress MP Rahul Gandhi had been taken into custody during a rally over the alleged NEET paper‑leak. The move set off a chain reaction across Telangana – protests erupted, police clashed with party workers and, in a surprising twist, the state’s own chief minister, A. Revanth Reddy, stepped forward to lambaste the central government.

Reddy, speaking from his home constituency of Kodangal, gathered a small crowd at the Ambedkar Chowrasta and, with a tone that mixed frustration and fury, said, “If the Centre does nothing, it will look as if Prime Minister Narendra Modi is protecting Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.” He went on to allege that the BJP’s “huge wealth” has been built on paper‑leak scandals and that the police response amounted to a “police raj”. The chief minister’s remarks were peppered with a few rhetorical pauses – a habit perhaps meant to let the crowd absorb each point.

Meanwhile, in the capital’s iconic Lok Bhavan, the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) mounted its own stand‑still. TPCC president B. Mahesh Kumar Goud, flanked by three senior Congress ministers – Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy, Damodar Rajanarsimha and Mohd Azharuddin – along with leader‑type Vivek Venkatswamy, entered the premises and announced a sit‑in. They were soon joined by MLAs Danam Nagender and Naveen Yadav, as well as senior cadres Shabbir Ali, Balmoor Venkat and Rohin Reddy. The protest, though largely peaceful, saw a handful of police intervene and relocate the demonstrators to nearby stations.

The unrest was not limited to the capital. In Warangal and Karimnagar, a few skirmishes broke out between Congress activists and BJP supporters, leaving a few injuries and a pile of police‑issued statements. Reports hinted that the clashes, while localized, reflected a broader frustration within the state’s Congress ranks – frustration that the central leadership seemed to be turning a blind eye to what they described as a politicised arrest.

Adding another layer to the drama was the mention – albeit truncated in early reports – of Deputy Chief Minister Mallu… (the full name was not captured in the source). Though his exact comments remain unclear, the very fact that the deputy’s name surfaced in the coverage suggests that the opposition’s criticism was echoing through the corridors of power.

As the night wore on, the chief minister’s message lingered: a call for accountability, a reminder that the rule of law should apply equally to all, and, in his own words, a warning that “the people of Telangana will not stand by while democratic dissent is stifled”. Whether those words will translate into concrete action remains to be seen, but the protests have already put the spotlight firmly back on Delhi’s handling of political dissent.