BJP Telangana chief ends 48-hour fast, vows to intensify fight over fee dues

HYDERABAD: Telangana BJP president N Ramchander Rao ended his 48-hour hunger strike on Tuesday, demanding the release of pending fee reimbursement and scholarship dues. The BJP estimates the dues at ₹15,000 crore. Rao ended the fast after accepting lemon juice from senior party leaders at the BJP state office in Nampally. The Bharatiya Janata Yuva [...]<strong>HYDERABAD:</strong> Telangana BJP president N Ramchander Rao ended his 48-hour hunger strike on Tuesday, demanding the release of pending fee reimbursement and scholarship dues. The BJP estimates the dues at ₹15,000 crore. Rao ended the fast after accepting lemon juice from senior party leaders at the <a href="https://x.com/Hyderabad_Mail/status/2092228719511584981?s=20">BJP</a> state office in Nampally. The Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) organised the protest under the banner “Fees Bakayi—BJP Ladayi”. The agitation began on August 24 after police denied permission to hold the protest at Dharna Chowk. Rao then started his hunger strike at the BJP state office. Rao said the agitation would continue until the government cleared the pending dues. “The fight against the Congress government will not stop until the dues of ₹15,000 crore are released,” he told reporters after ending the fast. <h3>BJP alleges police blocked Dharna Chowk protest</h3> The BJP alleged that police restrictions prevented the party from holding the hunger strike at Dharna Chowk. It also claimed that authorities later denied permission to stage the protest outside the BJP state office. The party further alleged that the government did not provide a medical team or ambulance at the protest venue. The BJP said students, unemployed youth, women, intellectuals, artists and representatives of educational institutions visited the venue to express solidarity. Students from Osmania, Kakatiya, Palamuru, Telangana and Satavahana universities also joined the protest, according to the party. Students from engineering, medical, polytechnic, ayurvedic, unani and homeopathy colleges also participated. BJYM leaders submitted documents containing signatures of five lakh students collected during its campaign for the release of the pending dues. <h3>BJP warns of Secretariat siege</h3> BJP leaders said the party would intensify its agitation if the government failed to clear the dues. Party MPs, MLAs, MLCs, former legislators, state office-bearers and district presidents joined the protest. Representatives of degree college associations, educational institutions, college managements, professors, lecturers, employees, advocates, doctors, labour unions and ex-servicemen associations also extended support, the party said. Speaking at the venue, BJP leaders criticised the Congress government and Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy over the pending reimbursements. They alleged that the Congress had made several promises to unemployed youth and students before the 2023 Assembly elections but failed to fulfil them. The leaders also questioned the government's spending priorities. They alleged that the government had funds for political programmes but had not cleared fee reimbursement dues for poor students. They also criticised Revanth Reddy, who holds the education portfolio, over his alleged focus on foreign visits while students faced difficulties due to unpaid dues. BJP leaders also questioned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s silence on the issue in Telangana. The BJP warned that it would organise a siege of the Secretariat with students if the government failed to clear the pending dues. “We will soon lay siege to the Secretariat and force the Congress government to bend,” BJP leaders said. Rao repeated the warning after ending his fast. “If justice is not served to the students, we will soon lay siege to the Secretariat and force the Congress government to bend,” he said. <h3>BJP leaders attend protest</h3> The protest was attended by BJP Legislature Party leader Aleti Maheshwar Reddy, Legislative Council floor leader AVN Reddy, Rajya Sabha member K Laxman, Mahabubnagar MP D K Aruna, Rajya Sabha MPs R Krishnaiah and Rekha Sharma, Malkajgiri MP Etala Rajender, Medak MP Raghunandan Rao, Nizamabad MP Dharmapuri Arvind and Chevella MP Konda Vishweshwar Reddy. Adilabad MLA Payal Shanker, MLAs Palvai Harish Babu, Dhanpal Suryanarayana Gupta, K Venkata Ramana Reddy and Paidi Rakesh Reddy also participated. BJP state general secretaries Dr N Gautam Rao, Veerender Goud and Vemula Ashok were present. Former MPs, former MLAs, state office-bearers, district presidents and leaders of affiliated organisations also attended. The BJP state leadership thanked students, youth, intellectuals, representatives of educational institutions and party workers who supported the agitation.