Daijiworld Media Network - Hyderabad
Hyderabad, Jul 21: Telangana chief minister A. Revanth Reddy and Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president Mahesh Kumar Goud on Tuesday strongly criticised the detention of Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and other party leaders in New Delhi, describing the action as an attack on democratic rights.
The Telangana Congress also announced a 'Chalo Raj Bhavan' protest on Wednesday to condemn the detentions. The party has directed its ministers, MPs, MLAs, MLCs, district Congress committee presidents, leaders of frontal organisations and other office-bearers to participate in the demonstration.
Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Priyanka Gandhi and several senior leaders were detained while marching towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence to protest against the alleged NEET-UG paper leak and the police action against students.
The Congress leaders had begun their march from Kharge's residence at Rajaji Marg towards the Prime Minister's residence at Lok Kalyan Marg before being stopped by the police.
Reacting to the development, Revanth Reddy said the detentions amounted to an assault on the democratic right to peaceful protest. In a post on X, he said the Congress would continue to stand with the country's youth seeking accountability from the Central government.
He asserted that imprisoning opposition leaders could not silence the anger of millions of young people demanding justice and transparency.
TPCC chief Mahesh Kumar Goud also condemned the police action, stating that detaining Opposition leaders would neither suppress the truth nor weaken the democratic aspirations of the people.
He emphasised that every citizen has a constitutional right to peaceful protest and freedom of expression, adding that the Congress remains committed to protecting democratic values and the Constitution.
State Minister for Minority Welfare Mohammed Azharuddin also criticised Rahul Gandhi's detention, saying it reflected an intolerance towards democratic dissent.
He maintained that students' concerns should be addressed through dialogue rather than force and reaffirmed the Congress party's support for young people demanding accountability over examination-related issues.