KTR faults BJP, Congress approach to Group I stir

He labeled the BJP's behavior as unbecoming and criticized the government's handling of the Group 1 protests. In a media statement, he expressed disappointment with the Chief Minister's approach, calling it shameful and regrettable.

Hyderabad: Taking strong exception to what he called the atrocious conduct of BJP workers who tried to attack a BRS team of senior leaders at Ashok Nagar, BRS working president KT Rama Rao on Saturday condemned the treatment meted out to RS Praveen Kumar, a former police officer of DGP rank, V Srinivas Goud, former Minister, Musheerabad MLA Muta Gopal and Dasoju Sravan, who reached out to the Group I candidates on protest in Ashok Nagar.

He called it unbecoming on part of the BJP and also criticized the government’s handling of the Group 1 stir. Speaking to the media, he expressed his disappointment over the Chief Minister’s approach, which he described as shameful and regrettable.

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“The government’s actions amount to trampling on 95 per cent local reservations brought in by the previous K Chandrashekhar Rao government. It is disheartening to see the government undermining the credibility of Telugu Academy books and relying on Wikipedia instead. The way the government is treating the Group 1 candidates, who have been protesting for the last four days braving the scorching sun and rain, was appalling. Many of these candidates are going to be high-ranking officials in future, and dragging them like sheep and beating them is unacceptable,” he stated.

“It is disgraceful that the government has not even bothered to call the candidates and explain the reasons for their stubbornness. Rahul Gandhi and Revanth Reddy promised 2 lakh jobs within a year before the elections, but now they are not even listening to the youth. This is causing immense frustration among the youth of Telangana,” he said, urging Revanth Reddy to respond and engage in discussions with candidates.

“The Supreme Court is set to hear this matter on Monday. Our leaders have also gone to the Supreme Court with the students to file a petition. The government should not act stubbornly and foolishly. They should hold discussions with the candidates and provide reasonable explanations. If not, they should postpone the exams as demanded by the candidates. They are not asking for a postponement without reason. In Madhya Pradesh, a similar situation led to the exams being conducted again after the court’s verdict,” he said.

“Why is Revanth Reddy resorting to these autocratic detentions? Why is he afraid to hold discussions? Why is he trying to suppress the voices of the leaders by arresting them? While he is worried about his government falling, he sends his friend Bandi Sanjay with CRPF forces. Even when I said I would go there to meet the Group I candidates, he deployed the police. Arresting our leaders is shameful. Will the postponing of the exams for a few days cause any harm?” KTR questioned..

He also criticized Bandi Sanjay‘s involvement in the discussions. “What has Bandi Sanjay studied? Has he ever taken an exam? He is not the right person to hold discussions. The government should call the students and hold discussions with them. The government should have the discretion to decide who to hold discussions with. The protesting candidates are going to all party offices. Call them to the Secretariat and hold reasonable discussions. If their arguments are reasonable, postpone the exams immediately. There is no need for any drama,” he added.