Hyderabad, Aug 2026 : Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Working President K.T. Rama Rao and Telangana Rakshana Sena (TRS) leader K. Kavitha on Friday accused the Congress of adopting “double standards” on police action against protesting students and questioned Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi's silence over incidents in Telangana.
The remarks came after Rahul Gandhi visited the Parliament Street Police Station in New Delhi and demanded registration of an FIR over alleged police brutality against a student during a recent protest in the national capital.
Reacting to Rahul Gandhi's intervention, K.T. Rama Rao, popularly known as KTR, took to social media platform X and questioned whether the Congress leader would similarly protest against the Telangana government over alleged police action against students in the state.
“There are two Indias! One where cane charge on students is questioned by the Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, and he stages a dharna in their support. He will deliver passionate, heartwarming speeches in their support. And then there is this!” KTR said.
He alleged that students protesting in Telangana had been subjected to force by the police, including being “cane charged, choked, dragged and kicked”.
KTR accompanied his post with photographs of Rahul Gandhi alongside an injured student in Delhi and images purportedly showing police personnel using force against protesting students in Telangana.
The BRS leader directly questioned Rahul Gandhi over whether he would stage a protest at the residence of Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy in Jubilee Hills over the alleged treatment of students.
“Will you stage a dharna at the Revanth Reddy Jubilee Hills Palace too? Or are our Telangana students dispensable because the lathis here have the stamp of your Congress party,” KTR asked.
He argued that the Constitution and principles of democratic protest should apply equally across the country, irrespective of which political party is in power.
KTR's comments were echoed by K. Kavitha, who also criticised Rahul Gandhi for what she described as his silence over alleged police high-handedness against students in Telangana.
“Rahul Gandhi ji, while you rush to file an FIR over police action in Delhi, why the complete silence on Congress police brutality in Telangana?” Kavitha said in a post.
She referred specifically to an incident in Mahabubabad on August 19, alleging that a police inspector serving under the Congress government was captured on video allegedly grabbing and manhandling polytechnic students during a protest.
Kavitha claimed that the students were peacefully demonstrating over issues related to their education and future and questioned why Rahul Gandhi had not reacted to the alleged incident.
“You called it brutality. Good, you should have. Now look at Mahabubabad,” she said, referring to Rahul Gandhi's criticism of police action in Delhi.
She further alleged that videos circulating from the incident showed students struggling for breath while being allegedly restrained by police personnel.
“Where was your outrage then?” Kavitha asked.
The TRS leader accused the Congress of applying different standards depending on where the alleged police action takes place.
“Delhi gets your outrage. Telangana gets your silence. Our students deserve better than your double standards,” she said.
The exchange has brought student protests and alleged police excesses into a fresh political confrontation between the Congress and BRS in Telangana.
While Rahul Gandhi has been demanding accountability over alleged police action against students in Delhi, BRS leaders are seeking similar scrutiny of incidents in Telangana under the Revanth Reddy-led Congress government.
The allegations by the BRS and TRS leaders have added another dimension to the ongoing political debate over the handling of student protests, with the Opposition seeking to make police conduct and accountability a key issue in Telangana.
