Italian, not English: why Telangana BJP chief wrote to Rahul Gandhi
HYDERABAD: Telangana BJP president N Ramchander Rao has written to Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi in Italian. He sought Gandhi’s intervention in the long-pending tuition fee reimbursement issue in Telangana.
Rao accused the Congress government of failing to address students’ concerns despite repeated appeals and protests. He urged Gandhi to pressure Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to release the pending reimbursement amounts and take corrective steps in the education sector.
Rao says 40 lakh students face uncertainty
Rao said nearly 40 lakh students, especially those from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Backward Classes and economically weaker sections, face uncertainty due to the delay.
He put the pending dues at ₹15,000 crore. According to Rao, some institutions are withholding certificates from students because of unpaid fees. He said this was affecting their higher education and job opportunities.
The BJP state president also said the financial strain was hurting educational institutions, teachers and staff. Several institutions, he claimed, were struggling to run normally. Some employees were reportedly receiving only half their salaries.
Rao said the delay had also affected education quality and infrastructure. Institutions, he added, were struggling to meet essential expenses.
He said students had repeatedly asked why Gandhi did not hear their “Goonj”, or voice. Rao said their demands were simple: release the funds they were entitled to and fulfil the promises made by the Congress.
Hunger strikes, protests, lathicharges, arrests, student letters to CM, and yet the Goonj of Telangana’s students has neither reached Rahul Gandhi nor his arrogant Congress government.
So I decided to write to @RahulGandhi in his mother tongue. pic.twitter.com/7rvXNebkdn
— N Ramchander Rao (@N_RamchanderRao) September 9, 2026
Rao attacks government over protests
Rao alleged that BJP protests over the issue had led to arrests, police action and lathi charges. He said he was arrested four times in 10 days while raising students’ concerns.
He also alleged that authorities denied permission for the venue he proposed for a hunger strike. As a result, he said, he held the protest at the BJP state headquarters.
Rao claimed that many students joined the hunger strike. They raised concerns over promises made in the Congress Youth Declaration.
These included unemployment benefits, jobs, a recruitment schedule and Vidya Bharosa Cards. Rao said the promises remained unfulfilled even after the Congress government completed 1,000 days in office.
He questioned the government’s approach to democracy and peaceful protests. According to Rao, police action against opposition leaders cannot resolve students’ grievances.
BJP raises other education issues
Rao also referred to other education-related protests in Telangana.
Polytechnic students, he said, were opposing a proposed merger of their institutions. They have raised concerns about the future of technical education and the possible use of institutional land for real estate.
Rao said AYUSH students had sought higher allowances for a decade. He also raised concerns over the quality of food under the midday meal programme and poor hostel conditions.
The BJP leader further mentioned unpaid teacher salaries and the non-implementation of the Pay Revision Commission (PRC).
Rao said these issues showed that education had not received adequate priority under the Congress government.
Rao urges Rahul Gandhi to act
Rao criticised Revanth Reddy’s reported request for another two years to resolve issues concerning students and teachers.
Students, he said, cannot put their education on hold. Teachers cannot wait indefinitely for salaries, while institutions cannot function on assurances alone.
Referring to Gandhi’s recent role as a “guardian of youth”, Rao said the same standards should apply to the Congress government in Telangana.
“I, therefore, strongly request you to exert necessary pressure on Chief Minister Shri A. Revanth Reddy to immediately release all outstanding tuition fee refunds and urgently take necessary corrective measures to rehabilitate the education system in Telangana,” Rao said in the letter.
Rao said Telangana’s students deserved a response from Gandhi and concrete action on the pending fee reimbursement issue.
