Kishan Reddy Hits Back at Rahul Over Student Safety Claims
Synopsis
BJP's G. Kishan Reddy fired back at Rahul Gandhi's Parliament claim that student attacks are unprecedented, alleging Congress governments ordered police firings on Telangana movement protesters at Secunderabad and Sadashivpet, and asserting Congress has no moral authority on student safety.
Key Takeaways
Rahul Gandhi told Parliament that attacks on students like the one at Jantar Mantar had never happened before in India's history.
Kishan Reddy rejected this claim, citing alleged police firings on protesters during the Telangana statehood movement under Congress governments.
Reddy specifically named the Secunderabad Clock Tower and Sadashivpet in Medak district as sites of alleged Congress-era violence against protesters.
Reddy alleged 369 people were killed in police firings during the Telangana agitation — figures flagged as unverified in available public records.
Telangana was formed as a separate state in 2014 after a prolonged agitation lasting several decades.
Reddy concluded that Congress 'has no moral right to speak about students' given this alleged history.
Union Coal and Mines Minister G. Kishan Reddy on Monday, July 27, 2026, sharply rebuked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over remarks made in Parliament claiming that attacks on students of the kind seen at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi had never occurred before in India's history. Reddy, who also serves as BJP Telangana state president, invoked the history of the Telangana statehood movement to challenge what he called Congress's selective memory on the issue of state violence against protesters.
Context
Rahul Gandhi had told Parliament that the recent attack on students at Jantar Mantar was unprecedented in the country's history. Reddy's post, written in Telugu, directly contested that claim, calling the incident at Jantar Mantar 'unfortunate' while arguing that Congress itself presided over far graver episodes of state violence. 'The Congress party is speaking while having forgotten its own history,' Reddy wrote.
The BJP leader pointed specifically to the Telangana movement, the decades-long agitation for a separate state that culminated in Telangana being carved out of Andhra Pradesh in 2014. He alleged that Congress governments at the time ordered police to open fire on protesters who had raised the slogan 'Jai Telangana' — a rallying cry of the movement.
Policy Backdrop
The demand for a separate Telangana state saw multiple phases of agitation, with the most intense period running from 2009 to 2014. Protesters faced repeated confrontations with law enforcement during this period, and several incidents of police action against demonstrators were reported across the region.
Reddy specifically cited two locations: the Secunderabad Clock Tower, where he alleged that protesters staging a dharna in response to a 'Chalo Raj Bhavan' call were fired upon by Congress-era police, and Sadashivpet in Medak district, where he made a similar allegation. He further claimed that 369 people were killed in police firings during the Telangana agitation under Congress rule. Note: The research background flags these specific figures and incident details as not independently verifiable from general public records, and NationPress is not asserting them as established fact.
Stakeholders and Impact
The exchange reflects an ongoing political contestation between the BJP and Congress over who holds the moral high ground on civil liberties and the treatment of protesters. For Telangana's political landscape, where memories of the statehood movement remain vivid, Reddy's invocation of those events carries particular resonance.
Student groups and Telangana movement veterans are among the stakeholders most directly addressed by this exchange. Reddy's post concludes with a pointed assertion: 'Such a Congress party has no moral right to speak about students.'
What's Next
The parliamentary session is likely to see further exchanges on the Jantar Mantar incident, with opposition parties expected to press the government on student safety and the right to peaceful protest. Congress leaders from Telangana may respond to Reddy's historical claims, potentially reopening a debate over the documented record of the statehood agitation era. Whether any formal inquiry into the Jantar Mantar incident is announced will shape how this political argument develops in the coming days.
Point of View
He speaks directly to a Telangana audience for whom that history is personal, while also insulating the BJP from the Jantar Mantar controversy at the national level. The exchange illustrates how India's federal political memory — especially around state formation struggles — continues to be weaponised in current debates. Whether this counter-narrative lands depends on how effectively Congress can distinguish its present-day posture from decisions made by state governments over a decade ago.
NationPress
28 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Rahul Gandhi say in Parliament about student attacks?
Rahul Gandhi stated in Parliament that an attack on students of the kind that occurred at Jantar Mantar in Delhi had never happened before in India's history, prompting a sharp rebuttal from BJP's G. Kishan Reddy.
What is the Jantar Mantar student incident about?
Jantar Mantar in New Delhi was the site of a recent attack on student protesters, which Rahul Gandhi raised in Parliament as an example of unprecedented violence against students in India.
What did Kishan Reddy say about the Telangana movement and Congress?
Kishan Reddy alleged that Congress-era governments ordered police to fire on Telangana movement protesters at locations including the Secunderabad Clock Tower and Sadashivpet in Medak district, and claimed 369 people were killed — though these specific figures are not independently verified.
When was Telangana formed as a separate state?
Telangana was carved out of Andhra Pradesh and established as a separate state in 2014, following decades of sustained political and public agitation for separate statehood.
Why is G. Kishan Reddy significant in Telangana politics?
G. Kishan Reddy is both the Union Minister of Coal and Mines and the BJP's Telangana state president, making him the party's most senior political voice in the state and a key figure in countering the Congress narrative in the region.
