Medical colleges row: Jagan flags off vehicles carrying one crore signature petitions

Amaravati, Dec 18 (PTI) YSRCP chief and former chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday flagged off vehicles carrying over one crore signature petitions opposing the alleged privatisation of 10 medical colleges from the party's central office to Andhra Pradesh Governor S Abdul Nazeer.

The opposition party had launched a statewide campaign collecting signatures from people against the alleged privatisation of medical colleges.

"This signature campaign was held from October 10 to December 10, and never in history has such a large scale campaign taken place," said Reddy, addressing party leaders.

The vehicles had reached Tadepalli from various districts after collecting signatures opposing what the YSRCP described as an anti-people decision of the NDA coalition government led by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

According to the former chief minister, the petitions were intended to ensure that the collective voice of the people reached the highest constitutional authority in the state, the governor.

Reddy congratulated party district presidents, regional coordinators, conveners, MLAs, MLCs, cadres and village level activists for successfully completing what he described as a massive people's movement.

"Over 1.4 crore signatures are history, and these signatures have reached Lok Bhavan," he said, claiming the exercise reflected growing public anger.

He alleged that people have not benefited under the TDP-led NDA coalition government despite two budgets being presented, and claimed welfare schemes implemented during the erstwhile YSRCP government's tenure between 2019 and 2024 were scrapped.

All systems are collapsing under the incumbent government, he alleged, claiming that it cannot run schools and hospitals resulting rise in private "exploitation".

The YSRCP supremo said these signatures will also be submitted to the court to ensure public concerns are noted.

Reddy and senior party leaders are scheduled to meet Andhra Pradesh Governor S Abdul Nazeer on Thursday to submit the signatures, 'highlighting public opposition' to the NDA coalition government's alleged privatisation plan.

The erstwhile YSRCP government between 2019 and 2024 initiated 17 medical colleges, one in each district, and completed seven of them. Admissions had already begun in five before the current NDA coalition came to power. PTI MS STH SA