Hyderabad: Telangana BJP president N. Ramchander Rao on Saturday demanded that Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy end what he described as a “dilatory approach” towards fee reimbursement dues and make a clear statement on when the pending amount of nearly ₹15,000 crore free reimbursement would be released.Addressing a media conference at the BJP state office in Hyderabad, Ramchander Rao alleged that the Congress govt was “playing with the future of students” by delaying payments. He rejected CM Revanth Reddy’s recent claim in the assembly that the BJP had failed to question the previous BRS govt over fee reimbursement dues.The BJP chief said that he had raised issues concerning fee reimbursement, student scholarships and the condition of the education system in the legislative council when he was an MLC.“The BRS govt had released funds during the first eight years of its 10-year tenure, nearly ₹5,000 crore remained pending during its final two years. He said the Congress govt itself had stated that it inherited dues of ₹5,430 crore from the BRS regime. Another ₹6,037 crore had accumulated during the Congress ruling by 2024–25, taking the total outstanding amount to around ₹15,000 crore by 2026,” he said.The BJP leader said his party had no objection to the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system and demanded that the govt clarify when the pending amounts would be deposited into students’ accounts.He also alleged that delays in reimbursement payments had resulted in some colleges withholding students’ original certificates. While demanding a comprehensive inquiry into alleged irregularities under both the BRS and Congress governments, Rao said colleges should not be harassed in the name of vigilance raids.Ramchander Rao said BJP workers had visited colleges across the state and collected signatures from around eight lakh students in support of their demands. He alleged that the party had sought an appointment with the CM to submit the petitions but was not granted one.“If the Congress govt cannot clear the dues, it should admit it openly to the people,” Rao said, warning that the public would give an appropriate response.He assured students that a BJP government, if elected in Telangana in the future, would clear all pending fee reimbursement dues.Leaders Join BJPMeanwhile, several prominent individuals from Hyderabad and Suryapet districts joined the BJP in the presence of Ramchander Rao.Among those who joined the party were recently retired DCP Srinivas, along with doctors, businessmen and a large number of young people from Suryapet district. Rao welcomed the new members into the party by presenting them with BJP scarves.
