Telangana Rashtra Samiti president K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Sunday faced the ire of hundreds of students on Osmania University campus as they raised `go back’ slogans and even hurled chappals and stones on his convoy when his helicopter landed there for refuelling.
The refuelling of the chopper was arranged on the campus as the Begumpet airport was closed for air traffic for security reasons in view of the visit of Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Earlier, Mr. Rao’s helicopter was also denied permission to land at Vikarabad as a public meeting of Ms. Gandhi was scheduled at nearby Chevella.
As soon as Mr. Rao got down from the helicopter and started proceeding in a convoy for a public meeting at Chilkalguda, the students who gathered there rushed towards the vehicles hurling chappals and stones and shouting ‘go back’. Their grouse was that Mr. Rao had promised to regularise the services of contract employees in Telangana government.
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Sensing danger, Mr. Rao went back to the helicopter with the help of police. He later summoned student leaders and assured them that only 80 per cent of the contract staff would be regularised and the remaining posts will be filled through direct recruitment. Even this proposal was not agreeable to the students.
The TRS president then flew out of the venue and arranged refuelling of the helicopter at Begumpet airport after it was reopened.