HYDERABAD: Hitting back at state BJP president N Ramchander Rao for demanding Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s resignation over students’ pending fee reimbursement issue, BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar on Sunday asked why the former remained silent when the dues were accumulating during the previous BRS regime.
“Fee reimbursement arrears were not created overnight but were a legacy inherited from the previous BRS government. Why did you maintain silence when the dues were getting accumulated during the BRS regime,” he asked.
In a press statement issued here, Prabhakar also challenged the BJP leaders to reveal if any state governed by them is implementing the fee reimbursement scheme. “If the BJP is genuinely concerned about students’ welfare, the Centre should implement a nationwide fee reimbursement scheme or at least share the financial burden of the states,” he said.
Stating that Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s proposal to reduce the minimum age for contesting elections to 21 years had sparked a nationwide debate, he alleged that BJP leaders were raising the fee reimbursement issue only to divert attention from this proposal.