Fee fight sparks Oppn walkout in Assembly

​Hyderabad: Alleging that the government was adopting indifferent attitude towards clearing the dues under fee reimbursement scheme and playing with the lives of students, members of Opposition parties staged a walkout from the Assembly on Thursday.

The members of Opposition parties demanded that the government immediately release funds under fee reimbursement scheme. Replying to the Opposition demands, Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao said that the government would continue to scheme and would clear the arrears by March 31.

Reacting to the walkout by the Opposition, the Chief Minister alleged that the fee reimbursement scheme had been launched in a haphazard manner by the then Congress government headed by Y S Rajasekhara Reddy a little ahead of the 2009 elections.

He said the walkout by the Congress despite repeated assurances by the government that it would clear the dues and that it would convene an all-party meeting to sort out the issues showed that it was only interested in politicising the issue, he pointed out.

He said since the government did not stand on false prestige, it had agreed to reopen the subject though the discussion was over on Wednesday. He said the government felt that it was the right on the part of the Opposition to seek clarifications and he too felt bad that they did not get a chance on Wednesday.

Perhaps the Deputy Chairperson felt that there had been an elaborate discussion and reply and that would suffice.

Earlier, Leader of Opposition K Jana Reddy raised the issue soon after the House assembled for the day. Opposition members strongly protested at the abrupt adjournment of the Assembly on Wednesday and said that it was violation of the procedure and practices of the Assembly.

At this juncture the Chief Minister intervened and expressed regret over the incidents that took place in the State Assembly on Wednesday. He, however, appealed to the Opposition to take up the issue after question hour as he had to get the details from the officials.

The AIMIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi said whenever the issue of rules and procedures arose, the Speaker should take the opinion of all floor leaders, but in TS Assembly, only two people were being allowed to have their say, the Chief Minster and the Leader of Opposition.

BJP floor leader G Kishan Reddy recalled that an agreement had been reached in Business Advisory Committee (BAC) to give opportunity to the Opposition parties to express their views and even to protest. TDP MLA A Revanth Reddy alleged that lack of floor coordination on the part of ruling party.

CPI (M) MLA S Rajaiah too expressed his displeasure over the way House had been adjourned without allowing the Opposition members to seek clarifications.