SAAP chairman rebukes Jagan’s comments on fee reimbursement

Tirupati: Former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's remarks on the fee reimbursement system sparked a sharp rebuttal from Sports Authority of AP Chairman Animini Ravi Naidu. Speaking to the media here on Monday, he accused Jagan of being irresponsible in his statements, suggesting he undergo psychological evaluation.

Ravi Naidu criticised Jagan for alleging that students in the state are facing hardships due to fee reimbursement issues. He pointed out that Jagan’s own tenure as Chief Minister had left dues amounting to over Rs 6,000 crore, including Rs 3,200 crore under the Jagananna Vidya Deevena scheme and Rs 2,456 crore for SC, ST, BC and minority students. "It was during your administration that students were denied their rightful benefits", Ravi Naidu said.

He further accused Jagan of misleading the public with false claims. The SAAP chairman highlighted that it was Education Minister Nara Lokesh who resolved the backlog issues, introduced a phased release of funds and reinstated the previous fee reimbursement policy. He slammed Jagan for the GO No.77 issued in 2021, which excluded private PG college students from the reimbursement scheme. He urged students and their families to trust the current government's commitment to supporting education, as Minister Lokesh had assured that no student would face injustice. He also warned certain private college managements, allegedly affiliated with the opposition YSRCP, against inciting students for political gains. TNSF leader K Hemanth Royal and others were present.