Telugu Desam president, N.Chandrababu Naidu and leaders of students wing of the party were arrested by police when they tried to block traffic after a ‘dharna’ at L. B. Nagar crossroads here on Tuesday demanding full fee reimbursement to all eligible BC, minorities and EBC students of professional courses.
Soon after he completed his speech, he got down from the dais and was planning to stage a sit-in on the National Highway leading to Vijayawada when police swung into action and took him into custody along with some Telugu Nadu Students Federation (TNSF) leaders. Mr. Naidu and others were taken to Vanasthalipuram police station and released later.
Mr. Naidu criticised the government for imposing several conditions on fee reimbursement to the poor and diluting the scheme. This is nothing but denying the deprived sections, access to higher education. The government has landed the students in utter confusion by its procrastination and frequently shifting its stand on fee reimbursement, he said.
He recalled that it was TDP government that had launched the fee reimbursement scheme and it had ensured that it covered all the under-privileged sections, unlike now when a number of conditions are stipulated. This is unacceptable as many of the poor students will have to discontinue their higher studies. The conditions prove that the government has no sincerity to implement the scheme in full, as was promised by it in 2009 Assembly elections, he said.
The leader of the Opposition made it clear that the party’s struggle would continue till the government extends the scheme to all eligible students. When TDP returns to power it would see that the scheme is implemented in full besides providing unemployment allowance of Rs. 1,000 to the jobless youth.
Anjaneyulu Goud, president of TNSF, and other leaders spoke.
