N Ramchander Rao, the president of Telangana BJP, faced house arrest due to his opposition to the Bharat Summit.
NEW DELHI: Telangana BJP president N Ramchander Rao on Saturday claimed that he and other party leaders had been placed under house arrest to prevent them from holding peaceful protests against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's visit to Hyderabad and the Bharat Summit being hosted by the state government. Rao described the action as illegal and said it violated the democratic right to protest.
In a statement, he said he wanted to demonstrate against the Congress government for allegedly failing to fulfil its election promises and against the two-day Bharat Summit. "Congress always sermonizes on democracy and Constitution. But, Congress is openly crushing democracy and the spirit of Constitution by putting opposition leaders under house arrest in Congress-ruled Telangana," he said.
The BJP leader also described the event as an "Anti-Bharat Summit", alleging that the Congress was bringing "anti-national forces" to the state under the guise of the gathering. According to the BJP Telangana State PRO, Rao was placed under house arrest at his residence in Tarnaka, Hyderabad, after calling for the cancellation of the summit and opposing Rahul Gandhi's visit.
Rao further alleged that the Congress government was wasting taxpayers' money by organising the event to relaunch Rahul Gandhi politically. Telangana BJP chief spokesperson N V Subhash demanded that the government end Rao's house arrest and release BJP and Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) activists who, he claimed, had been illegally detained. There was no immediate response from the police or the state government to Rao's allegations.
KTR accuses Rahul Gandhi of ignoring Telangana issues
Meanwhile, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president KT Rama Rao, also known as KTR, criticised Rahul Gandhi's participation in the Bharat Summit, alleging that the Congress leader had remained silent on several issues in Telangana. In a post on X on Friday, KTR accused Rahul Gandhi of not responding to protests by students demanding jobs, the alleged mistreatment of tribal women in Lagacharla and the demolition of houses by the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA).
"You didn’t show up when students demanding jobs (that you promised) were being throttled & getting beaten up by Congress police. You were unperturbed when tribal women of Lagacharla were beaten, disrobed & molested for their lands. When Hydraa bulldozers were destroying homes of hardworking Telangana people, you were sleeping in Delhi," he wrote.
KTR also raised concerns over the felling of trees at Kancha Gachibowli, alleged damage to KBR Park, the reported defection of 10 BRS MLAs to the Congress and an incident involving women legislators outside the Assembly. He further referred to alleged farmer and weaver suicides, arrests of journalists, land grabbing and corruption allegations against Congress MLAs and ministers. Questioning the purpose of Rahul Gandhi's visit, KTR alleged that the summit was a publicity exercise being funded with public money. He claimed that Rs 100 crore of Telangana taxpayers' money was being spent on the event.
Rahul Gandhi addresses gig workers' rally
Rahul Gandhi was in Hyderabad to attend the Bharat Summit, being held at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre on November 13 and 14, and address a rally of gig workers. According to PTI, he participated in a bike rally with gig workers before addressing them on Saturday. He dedicated the gig workers' welfare legislation enacted by the Telangana government to the workers, describing them as the foundation of the economy and partners in progress.
Rahul Gandhi said the Congress had fulfilled its promise of providing social security and protection to gig workers through the legislation. He also accused the BJP and RSS of pursuing an ideology that benefited big industrialists such as Adani and Ambani while treating workers like bonded labourers.
Under the Telangana Platform Based Gig Workers (Registration, Social Security and Welfare) Bill, 2026, gig workers are entitled to Rs 5 lakh in accident insurance and Rs 10 lakh in health insurance. The government will also provide Wi-Fi-enabled rest zones, he said. The Telangana government enacted the legislation in March this year after Rahul Gandhi highlighted gig workers' concerns during his Bharat Jodo Yatra. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, cabinet colleagues and other Congress leaders were present at the rally.
