BJP chief says ‘stopped at home’ en route to polytechnic
N Ramchander Rao alleges police blocked him from leaving Tarnaka to meet students protesting GO 97 at Ramanthapur. Student unrest over the merger plan is documented; the “house arrest” is his claim, unconfirmed by police.
The BJP chief’s claim of being stopped at home has not been publicly confirmed by police.
Telangana BJP president N Ramchander Rao on Tuesday alleged police prevented him from leaving his Tarnaka residence before a planned visit to Government Polytechnic College, Ramanthapur, where students have been protesting the state’s GO 97 merger push. He called the Congress government’s approach an “emergency mindset” and termed its coordination panel an “eyewash” unless the order is withdrawn, according to his account reported today. The Telangana Police have not issued a public version of events; the allegation stands as Rao’s alone so far.
Student protests against bringing government polytechnics under the renamed SHAKTI department alongside Young India Skills University have been running for days, including at Ramanthapur, with concerns about ECET and dilution of diploma pathways recorded on August 19. On August 25, the Telangana Polytechnic Joint Action Committee said it was pausing demonstrations after the government set up a high-level committee and sought exam relief — a temporary brake, not a full stop.
Rao’s intervention comes after his 48-hour hunger strike last week over pending fee-reimbursement dues, where he demanded Rs 15,000 crore. Today’s claim of being blocked at home remains just that — a claim — until the police or the Congress-run administration put their names to an account. The Congress government is welcome to explain why a visit to students needs a barricade.