Hyderabad: Telangana BJP President N. Ramchander Rao on Sunday demanded that Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy clear the pending fee reimbursement dues within a week or step down as the state’s Education Minister.
Addressing the media, Ramchander Rao alleged that the state government has failed to release nearly Rs 12,000 crore in pending fee reimbursement, putting the future of around 20 lakh students at risk.
Referring to the resignation of former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan following the NEET paper leak controversy, the BJP leader said the Congress government in Telangana should also demonstrate accountability.
“We have proved our sincerity, now you should prove yours,” Ramchander Rao said, urging the Chief Minister to either release the pending dues immediately or hand over the Education portfolio to someone capable of addressing students’ concerns.
The BJP leader also criticised Revanth Reddy for participating in a rally in Hyderabad over alleged police action against protesting students in New Delhi while, according to him, remaining silent on the fee reimbursement issue in Telangana.
In a post on social media platform X, Ramchander Rao alleged that nearly 20 lakh students are unable to pursue higher education or employment because their educational certificates have allegedly been withheld due to the non-payment of fee reimbursement by the state government.
Meanwhile, BJP MP D.K. Aruna accused the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of attempting to politicise the issue of examination irregularities. She alleged that individuals associated with the AAP tried to provoke protests to destabilise Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership and claimed that many participants in the Delhi protests were not students.
Aruna further alleged that anti-national elements attempted to fuel unrest with financial support from abroad. She maintained that the Central government acted swiftly after the NEET paper leak by cancelling the examination and conducting a re-examination within a short period to protect students’ interests.
Targeting the Congress leadership, Aruna accused the party of encouraging protests to tarnish India’s image and criticised Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi for staging demonstrations instead of debating issues in Parliament.
She also alleged widespread corruption in Congress-ruled states and claimed that funds generated through corrupt practices were being channelled to the party.
Drawing comparisons with Telangana, Aruna questioned why no resignations were sought after the alleged Group-I examination paper leak during the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government and the alleged Class 10 examination paper leak under the present Congress government.
The BJP leaders’ remarks come amid an intensified political debate over examination reforms, student welfare, and accountability in the wake of recent controversies surrounding competitive examinations across the country.
