Telangana: BJP blames Congress, BRS for negligence leading to death of 88 students in state run gurukuls

BJP Telangana State President Kishan Reddy has accused the Congress-led Telangana government of gross negligence, citing alarming statistics about the deteriorating state of state run gurukuls and hostels, which were supposed to serve as sanctuaries of learning and upliftment for disadvantaged students but have instead turned into “death traps” under successive governments.

Taking to social media platform X, Kishan Reddy highlighted the shocking number of deaths. “In just one year of Congress rule, 26 deaths have been reported in these government-run institutions,” he wrote, further stating that this continues a disturbing trend from the BRS regime, which saw 62 such deaths during its tenure.

•  62 deaths were reported during the BRS regime.
•  26 deaths occurred in just one year of Congress rule.

On Saturday, he criticised the Congress government led by CM Revanth Reddy for failing to address critical issues such as suicides, food poisoning, and the crumbling infrastructure in these schools, which primarily serve students from marginalised and backward communities. “Instead of reversing the damage left behind by the BRS, the Congress government has allowed the situation to worsen,” he alleged.

According to reports, government institutions in Telangana have been plagued by issues such as food poisoning and unsafe infrastructure:

• 36 cases of food poisoning were reported in 2022, affecting 1,247 students in Telangana’s schools, as per a study.
• In August 2022 alone, an average of 26 students fell ill every day due to contaminated food and water.
• Recent incidents include 21 students in Narayanpet district falling ill from food poisoning and a teen girl’s death spotlighting the dismal state of these institutions.

“The past and present administrations must both be held accountable for their failures,” Kishan Reddy asserted.

The state BJP has demanded immediate action and a complete overhaul of the state’s approach to managing these institutions.