TDP giving new lease of life to Congress: BJP

Tirupati: Union Minister for Human Resources Development (HRD) Prakash Javadekar cautioned the people of AP against the resurrection of the Congress party which was routed in the 2014 elections.

The Union minister accused the ruling TDP of trying to give a new lease of life to the good old party that was rejected outright by the people of the State. The two parties have alliance in Telangana and in all likelihood, it will be extended in AP also, he predicted.

Speaking to media here on Friday, the senior BJP leader said it was very sad that the party that was founded by late NT Rama Rao to drive away the corrupt Congress from the State, is trying to bring it back.  

The TDP ditched the alliance with BJP which got the mandate of the people in 2014 polls. TDP’s alliance with Congress is against the peoples’ verdict, the minister said.  He further said that the TDP won in 2014 polls because of Narendra Modi and Pawan Kalyan. 

Javadekar refused to answer a question on the likelihood of YSRCP alliance with the saffron party and said that he was not Inclined to talk about the issue. 

He asserted that the Centre has fulfilled its commitment with regard to establishment of Central institutions in the State and added that it was a history that 9 national institutions have been grounded within a short span of four year. He firmly refuted the oft repeated accusation of TDP leaders including Chief Minister against the Centre.

Giving out the details of the funds provided so far by the Centre to the 9 central institutions including IIT, ISSER, IIIT, Central University, IIM,  he said that the country had never witnessed such a record of 9 national institutions coming to State in a short period.

In this connection, he said the first phase of IIT and ISSER is coming up in Yerpedu mandal, 25 km from Tirupati and will be inaugurated in last week of January. 

Javadekar along with local BJP leaders, including district president B Chandra Reddy and party state secretary G Bhanu Prakash Reddy, visited TPPM Municipal high-school in the city where Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had studied, to see himself the facilities available in the school.

He interacted with the teachers and appreciated them when they informed that the school achieved pass percentage of 89 in SSC in March this year.

The Union minister stated that the Central government is providing separate grants directly to the schools for library, laboratories and also for sports facilities ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 25,000 every year, covering all the 11 lakh schools across the country. The States have key role in improving standard of school education, he added.