Hyderabad: Alleging that “tolerance level of the TRS government has come down”, MIM Floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi on Wednesday accused Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao of “running away” from the fee reimbursement issue and denying fees to eligible students.
In a strain to the friendly TRS-MIM ties, Mr Owaisi announced that the MIM will fight for the rights of students, SCs, STs, BCs along with minorities and sought their support in the state and legislature.
In the Legislative Council, Leader of the Opposition Mohd. Ali Shabbir threatened to move contempt of House proceedings against the CM for failure to keep reimbursement promise.
Mr Owaisi said, “Time has come for SCs, STs to rise and come together in Legislature to raise their voices against government.”
He alleged that whenever government was on the back-foot, it denied the Opposition the opportunity of seeking clarification as the mike would be mysteriously switched off, as it happened on Wednesday, after the CM’s reply.
“CM saab has much time to discuss monkeys coming from forests into the city, ample time to discuss fish and fisheries, but no time for fee reimbursement,” Mr Owaisi said.
He added, “There is four-page note on fisheries ... two-page note on monkeys ... four-page note on trees but not even one page on fee reimbursement.”
Disputing the CM’s statement, Mr Owaisi quoted the government’s official website which said that only Rs 984 crore was released towards fee reimbursement and not '1,400 crore.
He said a student admitted in 2014-15 in a course got scholarship and has to reapply again in 2015-16, 2016-17. “Why? In SC department, 1,69,381 students are eligible for scholarship but only 1,40,761 were registered, in minority welfare department 80,000 are eligible but only 64,510 are registered. When they are eligible, all students must be registered,” he said.
