KCR, Governor not allowed to speak at Osmania University centenary

Hyderabad: The much-touted centenary celebrations of the Osmania University on Wednesday turned out to be a dull and lacklustre affair. 

Neither Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan, who is the chancellor of the university, nor Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, who is an alumnus of the university, was allowed to speak on the occasion as they were expected to do.

The programme printed on the invitation card mentioned the address to be given by the Governor and the Chief Minister, but both were cancelled abruptly without citing reasons. The function ended soon after President, Pranab Mukherjee’s address. 

The centenary celebrations of this university are significant because hundreds of its students had participated in the agitations for a separate Telangana state and many sacrificed their lives, and faced police cases for fighting for the cause.

With Mr Rao himself being an alumnus of the university, who successfully achieved statehood for Telangana and became its first Chief Minister, OU alumni, faculty, and students were expecting him to deliver an emotional address as he is considered quite an orator.

Students were also upset that they were given seats far from the dais, probably because security personnel feared that they may protest about their long-pending demands.

Osmania University function wrapped up in 40 minutes​
A member of the Osmania University Teachers’ Association said this was the first time the Chief Minister had visited the university in nearly three years and the faculty was “expecting an announcement from the man himself on this big occasion. Mr Rao not delivering a speech surprised everybody.”

Vice-chancellor S. Ramachandram gave a welcome address and Registrar Gopal Reddy gave the vote of thanks, with the President's speech sandwiched in between. The function wrapped up in just over 40 minutes.

This was disappointing for the crowds that had started to enter the venue from 10 am. After waiting patiently for over three hours, the 15,000 plus gathering got a poor return. This was avidly discussed during the lunch break that followed the inaugural meet. 

“Anticipating trouble from a section of students, the Chief Minister and also the Governor might have shied away from giving their speeches. No official reason was given and everyone is clueless about the change in the programme schedule,” a senior professor said.