HYDERABAD: Slamming Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, who holds the education portfolio, for “ignoring” the plight of students, state BJP president N Ramchander Rao on Tuesday warned the government that the saffron party will lay siege to the Secretariat if Rs 15,000 crore fee dues are not released forthwith.
He made these remarks after ending his 48-hour hunger strike, staged under the banner of ‘Feesula bakayi, BJP ladayi’ (BJP battle for fee dues), by accepting lemon juice offered in the presence of Rajya Sabha MP K Laxman, BJP Legislature Party leader Alleti Maheshwar Reddy, Malkajgiri MP Eatala Rajender, Adilabad MLA Payal Shanker and others.
Ramchander asserted that the fight against the anti-people policies of the Revanth Reddy government, which according to him pushed the lives of 40 lakh students across the state into crisis, will continue.
Meanwhile, Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar, in a press statement, said: “The state government’s failure to release fee dues has affected the Dalit, tribal and Backward Class students. Students are unable to pursue higher education and their families are being forced to sell their properties to get certificates from the institutions.”
“The CM’s assertion that the fees will be paid forthwith made on the floor of the Assembly has not materialised. The Congress leaders have surpassed the BRS leaders in hoodwinking the people,” he added.
Maheshwar Reddy said that the BJP will intensify the agitation over the issue. Asking the chief minister to first fill vacant faculty posts and provide quality education, he wondered: “How will the government strengthen the education system by cutting budgetary allocations?”
Asserting that education is the only means of social upliftment as stated by Dr BR Ambedkar, Eatala Rajender said it would give power to those from disadvantaged backgrounds to stand on their feet.
Referring to police denying permission to stage the hunger strike at Dharna Chowk, BJP state in-charge P Muralidhar Rao asked: “Is this how they are going to save the Constitution? It seems democracy is for the rest of the country and not Telangana. Rahul Gandhi should come here and see what is the status of democracy in Telangana,” he said.
