Mother of All Scams: YS Jagan Slams Medical College Privatization, Vows Relentless Fight
18 Dec, 2025 14:52 IST|Sandeep Athreya
Over 1 Crore Signatures Against Medical College Privatization, Says YS Jagan
YS Jagan Accuses Chandrababu Govt of Medical Education Scam, Warns of Consequences
‘Handing Colleges for Kickbacks’: Jagan Attacks Chandrababu Over Privatization Move
Medical College Privatization Will Rob Poor of Healthcare: YS Jagan
Terming the privatization of medical colleges as the “mother of all scams,” YSR Congress Party president and former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy said the move has triggered massive public outrage, with more than one crore people openly rejecting it. He asserted that the agitation would continue relentlessly until the Chandrababu Naidu-led government is forced to roll back the decision.
Addressing party leaders after flagging off vehicles carrying signature documents, and ahead of his meeting with the Governor on Thursday, Jagan said a staggering 1,04,11,146 citizens had signed in protest during racha banda programmes and mass outreach campaigns held across Andhra Pradesh. He noted that protesters also shared their phone numbers, underscoring the credibility and authenticity of the campaign. He said the signatures reflect widespread anger over a decision that directly threatens public health and affordable medical education.
Jagan said he would meet the Governor after paying homage to Dr B.R. Ambedkar at Smrithi Vanam to expose what he described as a calculated fraud. He accused the government of stripping the poor of access to quality medical care and education, while showing shocking audacity by agreeing to pay salaries of private medical college staff using public funds.
The YSRCP chief said the campaign was the culmination of months of sustained resistance, including racha banda meetings and rallies at multiple levels, launched after the programme was announced in October and following his visit to the Narsipatnam medical college.
Drawing a sharp comparison, Jagan recalled that former Chief Minister N. Janardhan Reddy was forced to resign after allotting just one medical college to the private sector. “Today, Chandrababu Naidu is handing out medical colleges left, right and centre to private players for kickbacks. This is nothing short of the mother of all scams,” he charged.
He vowed to expose the alleged scam on every available platform, including through legal action, and said the party would continue protests at all levels until the privatization move is withdrawn. He praised party cadres for making the campaign a resounding success and accused Chandrababu Naidu of systematically weakening public institutions, particularly the medical and education sectors.
Taking a swipe at Naidu’s criticism of district collectors, Jagan said it was not the performance graph of officials that was falling, but Chandrababu’s own credibility. He accused the Chief Minister of deflecting blame onto administrators as public dissatisfaction grows.
“Hospitals, schools and RTC buses must remain with the government to protect people from private exploitation,” Jagan said, adding that Chandrababu’s actions reveal misplaced priorities. He asserted that the YSRCP did everything possible to strengthen public institutions and warned that the party would fight the issue to the finish. If the decision is not reversed, he said, the private players involved would face serious consequences when the YSRCP returns to power.
