The Hyderabad Central University (HCU) land row has taken center stage in Telangana’s political discourse. As the controversy snowballs, one question continues to echo — why did the BJP stay silent for so long, despite the university falling under the purview of the Central government?
The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has consistently accused the BJP of adopting a passive stance on the issue. The criticism intensified after K.T. Rama Rao (KTR) alleged that a BJP MP extended support to Chief Minister Revanth Reddy in proceeding with the controversial land auction.
Amidst this political storm, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has finally spoken out, though not from Telangana but from Haryana, during a political rally. In a veiled attack on the Congress-led Telangana government, Modi took aim at the alleged destruction of forest land in the Kanche-Gachibowli region, accusing the Revanth Reddy administration of deploying bulldozers into green zones, endangering nature and wildlife.
“Congress is busy destroying forests and harming wildlife — this is their style of governance,” Modi remarked, referring to Telangana without naming it directly.
But the timing and place of his utterance have drawn suspicion. Most critics and political analysts point out that when student agitations and popular outrage were happening in Hyderabad over the land-grab, there was no word from the Centre or any of its ministries. It happened only when Modi was giving a campaign speech in BJP-governed Haryana — where Congress is the principal opposition — that he chose to comment.
This has led to speculation that the PM’s remarks were aimed more at undermining the Congress on a national level than addressing the core issue affecting Telangana’s academic and environmental landscape.
Reacting strongly, the BRS slammed Modi’s delayed reaction, accusing the Prime Minister of politicizing the issue for electoral gain rather than offering any real resolution or support to concerned students and citizens.
His remarks have come at a late time and do nothing except earn political points,” said a BRS spokesperson, voicing the frustration of the party over the Centre’s silence when the row raged to its highest during its peak.”.
