Telangana BJP Terms Revanth Reddy's 21-Year Poll Age Proposal a Diversion

In Hyderabad, Telangana BJP president N Ramchander Rao on Monday criticized Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s proposal to lower the minimum age for contesting Lok Sabha and Assembly elections to 21 years, calling it an attempt to divert public attention from unfulfilled promises made to the state's youth.

Defending the current statutory framework, Rao stated that Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and the architects of the Constitution intentionally set the minimum age to contest elections at 25 years to ensure that lawmakers possess necessary experience. His statement followed the Chief Minister's July 25 announcement that the state government would soon convene a special Assembly session to pass a resolution urging the Centre to reduce the minimum contesting age from 25 to 21 years.

Rao accused the Congress government of failing to fulfill its poll promises to youth during its time in office. He pointed out that approximately 20 lakh student beneficiaries under the state's tuition fee reimbursement scheme are currently in distress, as colleges have withheld their certificates because the state government has kept dues amounting to Rs 12,000 crore pending. He added that 17 state government universities are facing a severe crisis due to a crunch in both funds and faculty.

The BJP state president further criticized the administration for failing to deliver on key election pledges, including a monthly unemployment dole of Rs 4,000, free 'scootys' for female college students, the constitution of a Youth Commission, and 75 per cent reservation for local residents in private jobs. Citing these issues, Rao demanded that Revanth Reddy relinquish the education portfolio.

In response to youth-led protests over the NEET paper leak, Rao suggested that if the Congress was genuinely committed to empowering young people, it should appoint a young leader as AICC president instead of Mallikarjun Kharge. He pointed out that the BJP had appointed Nitin Nabin, a young leader, as a party president, asserting that the BJP has grown into the country's largest political party due to the youth's confidence in Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Separately, Rao and other party leaders paid homage to former President APJ Abdul Kalam on his death anniversary on Monday.