BJP wants Rahul Gandhi to intervene over students' fees dues

Metro India News | Hyderabad 

Telangana BJP president N Ramchander Rao on Thursday wrote an open letter in Italian to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, urging him to listen to the 'goonj' (echo) of students in the state over pending dues under the tuition fees reimbursement scheme.

"Hunger strikes, protests, lathicharges, arrests, student letters to CM, and yet the Goonj of Telangana’s students has neither reached Rahul Gandhi nor his arrogant Congress government. So I decided to write to @RahulGandhi in his mother tongue," Rao said in post on X.

Despite repeated appeals and protests by BJP demanding the release of long-pending fee reimbursement dues, the Congress government has failed to respond to the students' plight, he alleged in the letter.

During his interactions with students across Telangana, one question has repeatedly emerged: "Why does Rahul Gandhi not hear our Goonj?" he asked. Rao contended that the future of nearly 40 lakh students, particularly those belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Backward Classes and economically weaker sections, is in jeopardy because of pending fee reimbursement dues amounting to approximately Rs 15,000 crore.

He pointed out that colleges are not giving certificates to students because the government has "failed" to clear the fee reimbursement scheme dues, making it difficult for students to pursue higher education or get jobs. With the Congress government not clearing the dues, the academic institutions are struggling to function, with many employees receiving only half of their salaries, he said.

When BJP planned to undertake protests, the Congress government sought to suppress the expression of grievances by carrying out arrests, police cases and lathi charges, he alleged. Even when he decided to undertake a hunger strike, the government denied permission for the proposed venue, compelling him to hold it at the BJP state office, Rao said.

Besides the dues, the other election promises of Congress, including unemployment allowance, jobs, and 'Vidya Bharosa Cards' remain unfulfilled though the government recently completed 1,000 days in office, he said.

Rao said the Congress government has "arrested" him four times in 10 days merely for raising his voice on behalf of the students. Rahul Gandhi waves the Constitution and speaks of protecting democracy, yet a government run by his own party denies space for peaceful protests, he said.

Noting that the alleged unrest is not confined to fee reimbursement, he said polytechnic students are protesting against the proposed merger of their colleges, while AYUSH students are demanding an increase in stipends, pending for a decade.

At a time when students and teachers need immediate solutions, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has asked for another two years to solve their issues, the BJP leader said.

"As the so-called custodian of youth, a new avatar which you have worn recently, you frequently question the accountability of governments. That same standard must apply to the Congress government in Telangana. The students of this state deserve answer from you, backed by concrete action," he said.

The state BJP president demanded that Rahul Gandhi put pressure on CM Revanth Reddy to immediately release the pending fee reimbursement dues and take urgent corrective measures "to fix the education system in Telangana".

Against the backdrop of criticism against the government over pending dues of the fees reimbursement scheme, CM Reddy on August 14 said the fee reimbursement amount will be credited to the students' bank accounts in a month if they apply online. The new payment system was introduced to prevent the colleges from withholding students' certificates, citing pending dues of fees reimbursement.