BJP skips court orders, finds a tent
Telangana BJP chief N Ramchander Rao launched a 48‑hour hunger strike in Hyderabad over fee‑reimbursement arrears. The court has timelines; the BJP has slogans.
The BJP began its 48-hour protest at its Hyderabad office after permission for Dharna Chowk was denied.
N Ramchander Rao, the Telangana BJP president, began a 48‑hour fast in Hyderabad on Monday over pending tuition‑fee reimbursements. The party says permission for Dharna Chowk was denied, so the protest shifted to its state office — not exactly the seat of power they want to pressure. According to the reports citing Rao, the backlog runs into the tens of thousands of crores and affects tens of lakhs of students; the precise figures vary with the microphone.
What’s on record is simpler. The Telangana High Court is hearing petitions from private colleges over unpaid reimbursements and rules on who may collect fees. On July 10, the court recorded the state’s assurance to release dues for 2nd–4th years by July 31 and a first‑year tranche by August 15 — and said colleges could collect fees if those dates weren’t met. That is an enforceable timeline, not a placard.
The Congress government in Telangana has also announced that from this academic year it will place Rs 2,400 crore annually directly into students’ bank accounts and said colleges cannot withhold certificates for unpaid fees. That is the model it will be judged on: money in accounts, arrears cleared, timelines kept. The BJP’s headline numbers remain the BJP’s claims until a ledger or a court filing matches them.
Meanwhile, the litigation exists, the court‑set dates exist, and a fix is on paper. If the BJP wants to help students, it can start by backing the court’s clock instead of Rahul‑tagged theatre at its own gate. The BJP‑led Centre isn’t in this queue; students are.