OU JAC decide to meet Rahul Gandhi

Hyderabad, September 30: Students of Osmania University are planning to meet AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi on the separate Telangana state issue soon. Leaders of OU Telangana Students’ Joint Action Committee, a coalition of over six student outfits from across the region, spoke to Gandhi on September 28 and sought his appointment. However, the date and time of the meeting will be announced later.

OU JAC leaders said even Telangana students from various university campuses across the country, including Delhi University (DU) and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) would meet Gandhi next month. The student JAC leaders had already met other Delhi-based Congress leaders on the ‘T’ issue, they said.

“The move to meet Rahul Gandhi is an attempt to bring the issue to the notice of the young leader. We have not met any national-level leader so far on this issue. We had even boycotted the Sri Krishna Committee and refused to depose before them. We now feel the need to bring our concerns to the notice of the decision-makers in Delhi,” an OU student said. The meeting would take place even before TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao’s scheduled visit to Delhi, he added.

Though the students unions are supported by TRS on the T issue, however, the OU-TSJAC leaders said they would not take KCR’s consent before meeting Rahul Gandhi. “We want to get things sorted out for ourselves. OU students think that it is high time for the Congress high command to break its silence on the T issue,” said a student JAC leader.

However, according to sources, the students’ decision to hold discussions with Rahul Gandhi is an indication of growing differences between TRS and the student outfits. While students have been supporting the Telangana JAC for the separate statehood cause, they are miffed about not being consulted on major issues by TRS.

The students, however, will be supporting the Telangana bandh scheduled for Friday. Student leaders in a press meet held on OU campus on Thursday also raised concerns about an Andhra and Rayalaseema meet in Hyderabad which was announced by Congress MP Lagadapati Rajagopal. “We will be forced to attack the leaders of these regions if they set foot in Hyderabad,” warned OU JAC members. The meet is expected to be held in the city on October 7.

—-TOi