KT Rama Rao Demands Apology from Telangana Chief Minister Over 'Criminal Waste' Remark Against Engineering Students

Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president KT Rama Rao (KTR) on Sunday, August 2, shot off a letter to senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, demanding that Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy tender an unconditional public apology to students over his recent remarks. During a discussion on job readiness and employability of engineering students in Hyderabad, the chief minister called engineering students “criminal waste,” sparking widespread criticism from the Opposition. He had said that nearly 1.1 lakh engineering students graduate every year, but “some can’t even fill out a job application.” “The Chief Minister has repeatedly targeted students and the youth,” referring to Revanth’s “beer and biryani batch” statement and ridiculing students as “thugs.” In his letter, the former IT minister held Rahul Gandhi politically and morally responsible for Revanth’s remarks. “As the principal campaigner of the Congress party, the leader who personally sought the mandate of Telangana’s youth and the person who handpicked Revanth Reddy as chief minister, the political as well as moral responsibility ultimately rests on you,” he said. In a sarcastic jibe, he asked Rahul to “stop lecturing on democracy and constitutional morality” when it is not followed in his own party. “Rahul Gandhi’s silence over the Chief Minister’s remarks is a conscious political choice,” KTR alleged. KTR hailed the young generation as the nation’s greatest strength and the architects of a new India. “Every technological breakthrough and development is the result of the hard work of engineers, scientists, teachers and students, who deserve admiration, encouragement and respect, not humiliation,” he said.