YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) honorary president YS Vijayalakshmi on Thursday alleged that the state government was slowly diluting every welfare scheme, introduced by the late YS Rajasekhara Reddy, the latest being the fee reimbursement scheme.
Exuding confidence about her son’s release, she said that Jagan would continue all the welfare schemes of the late YSR after becoming the chief minister of the state in the 2014 polls.
“Soon after ascending the seat of power, Jagan will continue every welfare scheme introduced by Rajasekhara Reddy, in its original form,” she said.
Vijayamma began her twoday Fee Deeksha at Dharna Chowk at Indira Park here on Thursday in protest against the state government’s decision to cap the fee reimbursement amount for students studying in private professional colleges.
Speaking on the occasion, Rajasekhara Reddy’s widow lambasted at the state government for making changes in the scheme. She said she was undertaking the deeksha at the behest of her son Jagan to exert pressure on the government so as to continue the scheme in its original form.
“The government is slapping various taxes on the people. Why is it not ready to extend the fee reimbursement scheme to all eligible students? Why does it want to water down all the welfare schemes launched by the late Rajasekhara Reddy?” she questioned.
Referring to statements by Congress leaders that YSR would have diluted the fee reimbursement scheme himself if he were alive, Vijayamma said that his husband would never have done that because he had the will power to fight against all odds.
Taking a dig at TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, who staged sit-in at LB Nagar here two days earlier on the same issue, Vijayamma said that instead of exerting pressure on the government to continue welfare schemes, Naidu was taking up “counter deekshas” to compete with YSRCP.
She wanted to know why the TDP chief, who promised 100 tickets for BCs in the 2014 polls, remained silent on the proposal mooted by her.