Jagan accuses TDP govt of betraying students, criticizes police crackdown on protest

YSRCP supremo and former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy criticized the TDP-led NDA government for using police force to prevent students and their parents from protesting against the non-disbursal of fee reimbursements.

As part of the 'Yuvatha Poru' initiative, YSRCP leaders, activists, numerous students and their parents took to the streets on Wednesday, demanding the government immediately release funds to clear fee reimbursement dues, honour its promise of extending the unemployment dole, and withdraw its proposal to privatize medical colleges set up by the previous regime.

Describing the protest as a success, Jagan, in a post on X, said the students and their parents had overcome attempts by the police to thwart their demonstration, which aimed to highlight the hardships they have been enduring under the ruling alliance for the past year.

“This is the first warning from students and unemployed youth to Chandrababu,” he remarked.

Emphasizing that his government had implemented schemes such as full fee reimbursement through Vidya Deevena and hostel and mess charges through Vasathi Deevena to ensure that no one was deprived of higher education, Jagan accused the TDP government of watering down these initiatives.

Jagan broke down the sums to be distributed to students, explaining that the fee reimbursement money for the January-March quarter of 2024 is scheduled to be verified in April and paid in May. “₹700 crore should be given every quarter under fee reimbursement, totaling ₹2,800 crore per year. Another ₹1,100 crore should be allocated for hostel expenses under Vasathi Deevena. In total, ₹3,900 crore should be spent every year on these two schemes,” he said.

However, he pointed out that Naidu’s government had only extended ₹700 crore, and that too had not reached all eligible students. “Students are yet to receive ₹3,200 crore from last year and another ₹3,900 crore this year,” he added.

While the NDA government owes around ₹7,100 crore to students, Jagan highlighted that only ₹2,600 crore has been earmarked in the Budget for the financial year 2025-26.

“Doesn’t this mean that you are trying to escape your responsibility to ensure the education of poor students? Aren’t your actions a betrayal of the children who are studying? Why are you making life so difficult for students, Chandrababu?” he asked.

Highlighting the coalition government’s electoral promise to create 20 lakh jobs over five years and extend ₹3,000 in unemployment dole, Jagan remarked that providing jobs was a distant dream, the TDP government had even cancelled the jobs created under the previous YSRCP regime.

Noting that ₹7,200 crore is required to provide unemployment allowances each year, Jagan said that not a single paisa had been allocated in the Budget for the scheme.

Criticizing the government's move to privatize the medical colleges established by the YSRCP, he accused the Naidu government of preventing the poor from accessing free, quality healthcare and depriving underprivileged students of medical education.

Addressing Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, Jagan asked, “Have you ever seen unemployed people, so many students, and their parents taking to the streets, questioning you even before a year of the new government coming to power?”

Further, Jagan congratulated the students, their parents, the unemployed youth, and the YSRCP leaders and activists for challenging the coalition government and making ‘Yuvatha Poru’ a success.

He assured the public that the YSRCP would always stand by all sections of society.

1. @ncbn గారూ పేద విద్యార్థులను చదువులకు దూరం చేసే మీ కుట్రపై వైయ‌స్ఆర్‌సీపీ ఆధ్వర్యంలో ప్రజాస్వామ్యయుతంగా “యువత పోరు’’ ద్వారా గళమెత్తిన విద్యార్థులు, వారి తల్లిదండ్రులు, నిరుద్యోగులపై పోలీసుల దౌర్జన్యాలను తీవ్రంగా ఖండిస్తున్నాను. పలుచోట్ల పోలీసులతో ఈ కార్యక్రమాన్ని అడ్డుకోవాలని… pic.twitter.com/dn2LslNZzI

— YS Jagan Mohan Reddy (@ysjagan) March 12, 2025