BJP Chief Dares Rahul Gandhi to Hold Student Programme in Ashoknagar

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Telangana president N Ramchander Rao on Sunday challenged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to bring his 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' programme to Ashoknagar in Hyderabad to directly hear the grievances of students in the state. Rao stated that Gandhi, who has been visiting states governed by the National Democratic Alliance, should address the pressing issues of fee reimbursement and employment facing Telangana students under the Congress state government.

Rao questioned Gandhi's ongoing nationwide outreach, stating that while the Congress leader claims to represent the voice of students and youth across NDA-ruled states, he should first listen to the students in Telangana where Congress holds power. He asked whether Gandhi was unaware of the difficulties students are experiencing in the state or whether his concern for the youth ends in states governed by his party.

Highlighting the pending financial dues, Rao alleged that the future of nearly 20 lakh students belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), Backward Class (BC), and Economically Backward Class (EBC) categories is being jeopardised. He blamed the state government's failure to clear long-pending fee reimbursement dues for creating severe obstacles for these students.

Rao claimed that thousands of students across the state are currently unable to pursue higher education or take up employment opportunities. According to the BJP state chief, educational institutions are withholding the original certificates of students due to the unpaid fee dues owed by the government.

In addition to the fee reimbursement issue, Rao targeted Gandhi over the commitments made during the 2023 assembly election campaign. Recalling Gandhi's previous visit to Ashoknagar in Hyderabad, Rao noted that promises were made to the youth regarding the implementation of a job calendar, creation of employment opportunities, and the provision of an unemployment allowance.

Rao alleged that more than two-and-a-half years after the Congress party came to power in Telangana, those election promises regarding jobs and allowances remain entirely unfulfilled, leaving the state's youth facing uncertainty.