AP mulls moving SC against Telangana decision

Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh is exploring option of leading an all-party delegation to Delhi to complain against the Telangana government over its refusal to reimburse fee for students of Seemandhra origin. The Telangana government has reiterated its policy of sticking to the cut-off date of 1956. It meant that the students whose parents settled in the Telangana State before 1956 are only eligible for fee reimbursement scheme, which is now called Fees Assistance for Students of Telangana (FAST).

The Andhra Pradesh government which has already filed a petition in the Eamcet case in the Supreme Court has also decided to challenge the T government’s decision on fee reimbursement in the apex court. A final decision in the matter would be taken after a thorough discussion on the issue in the Cabinet meeting scheduled to be held on July 21.

AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu told reporters here on Saturday that his government was closely examining the issue and exploring various options to deal with it appropriately.

He said they were considering various options which included approaching the apex court for justice. “We will soon take an appropriate decision in this regard,” Naidu told reporters on the sidelines of the orientation programme to AP legislators.

Meanwhile, AP HRD Minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao, who held a meeting with leaders of other parties in his chambers in the evening, said the T government was going against the norms and practices on the issue of fee reimbursement. He said all political parties had endorsed the view of the government that it should knock on the doors of the Apex court. The meeting was attended by Social Welfare Minister Ravela Kishore Babu, YSRCP MLAs Jyothula Nehru and K Srinivasulu, and BJP leader Vishnu Kumar Raju. YSRCP MLA Jyothula Nehru said his party would extend all possible support to the AP government in ensuring justice to the Seemandhra students who were pursuing professional courses in Telangana.