N Ramchander Rao Ends Fast Over Rs 12,000 Crore Fee Reimbursement Dues

Telangana BJP leader N Ramchander Rao concluded his hunger strike at the party office in Hyderabad on Tuesday, vowing to continue the agitation demanding the release of pending dues under the students' tuition fee reimbursement scheme by the Congress government.

BJP MP K Laxman offered lemon juice to Rao to mark the conclusion of the fast, which began at the party headquarters on August 24. Laxman appealed to Rao to end the hunger strike and instead lead field-level struggles alongside students and youth.

According to Rao, pending reimbursement dues amounting to Rs 12,000 crore have jeopardised the future of approximately 20 lakh students across the state. He noted that the arrears accumulated after Rs 8,000 crore remained unpaid when the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) administration demitted office in December 2023.

Rao stated that due to the non-clearance of these funds, private educational institutions across Telangana are withholding students' certificates. He added that colleges are also struggling to pay regular salaries to their staff members as a direct consequence of the funding freeze.

Criticising the ruling administration, MP K Laxman said Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy is making tall claims regarding the improvement of education in the state while failing to resolve fundamental problems. He pointed out that retired teachers in the state are also staging agitations to secure their long-pending retirement benefits.

Laxman asserted that the BJP will maintain a determined struggle against the state government until all arrears under the tuition fee reimbursement scheme are cleared. Rao also stated that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi should visit Hyderabad to answer the public regarding the unpaid educational dues affecting youth.