Congress, TRS spar over residential schools

Hyderabad: The Congress members staged a walkout in the Assembly on Thursday alleging that the government had been neglecting facilities in the residential schools in the State. The walkout took place after a short discussion on ‘Establishment of Residential Schools and Colleges in the State’.

The Congress members, led by deputy floor leader of the party T Jeavan Reddy, walked into the well of the House seeking mike to speak. They had an argument with Deputy Speaker Padma Devendar Reddy and Legislative Affairs Minister T Harish Rao. The Deputy Speaker said the Congress members would not be allowed to speak as the short discussion had ended. However, the Congress members insisted to speak.

Harish Rao said it was not fair on the part of the Congress to seek opportunity to speak after the discussion had been concluded. Yielding to the demands of the Congress, the Deputy Speaker allowed Congress member K Venkat Reddy to speak.

Venkat Reddy said the government had not responded to the demands made by his party. He said a student died while taking bath at an irrigation canal as there was not bathroom in a residential school in Nalgonda. He alleged that the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) came into power making false promises to the people.

The government had forgotten its promise to provide free education to students in the State from LKG to Post Graduation. He said contract lecturers of the residential colleges were on strike as their services were not regularised. He took strong objection to the shouting of Schedule Castes Welfare Minister G Jagadish Reddy. He said the government should feel shy about the Nalgonda incident.

In his reply to the discussion, Jagadish Reddy said the deceased student, being cited by the Congress, was not a student of residential schools. He said, in a raised voice, that it was the Congress which deprived the residential schools of facilities.

The Minister said the Congress should feel shy thousand times for neglecting the education in the State, virtually shouting at the Congress members. He said due to the Congress rule in the State, the government schools had lost the confidence of parents.

Jagadish Reddy said the government directed the District Collectors to find land for the buildings of the residential schools. The government allocated Rs 600 crore for the construction of buildings for the
residential schools.

BJP MLA C Ramachandra Reddy alleged that the government had been using poultry farm-like sheds for residential schools which had closed several Engineering colleges for running the colleges in similar type of sheds. He wanted to know whether the government would establish one Engineering college for one district and link them with the residential schools.