Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Telangana president N. Ramchander Rao demanded that Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy make a clear statement on when the government would clear the nearly ₹15,000 crore fee reimbursement dues, alleging that the Congress government was adopting a delaying tactic on an issue concerning lakhs of students.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP State office in Hyderabad on Saturday (September 12, 2026), Mr. Rao rejected the Chief Minister’s remarks in the Assembly on Friday that the BJP had failed to question the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government over fee reimbursement dues. He said that, as an MLC, he had raised the issue of fee reimbursement, student scholarships and the state of the education system in the Legislative Council as early as January 4, 2017, and that the proceedings would establish this.

Mr. Rao said the BRS government had accumulated about ₹5,430 crore in dues by the time the Congress came to power, according to figures cited by the present government in the Assembly. Another ₹6,037 crore had accumulated during the Congress government, he claimed.

The BJP leader said his party had no objection to the government adopting a direct benefit transfer (DBT) mechanism to credit the reimbursement amount directly into students’ accounts. “The government should tell students when the money will be credited,” he said.

Opposition to G.O. 97

Mr. Rao also criticised the government over G.O. 97 concerning the polytechnic education system, alleging that it was putting the future of polytechnic students at risk. He condemned the police action against polytechnic students who were staging protests over their future

The BJP president said party workers had visited colleges and collected signatures from around eight lakh students on petitions highlighting their problems. He alleged that the Chief Minister had not granted them an appointment to submit the petitions.

He accused the Congress and BRS of being “two sides of the same coin” and that they are shielding each other’s mistakes. If the Congress government was unable to clear the dues, it should admit it openly, he said.

Tension prevailed near the Telangana Assembly as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State president N. Ramchander Rao and several senior party and BJYM leaders were arrested while attempting to lay siege to the Assembly demanding immediate release of fee reimbursement dues.

The BJP leaders said they were forced to march towards the Assembly after the police allegedly denied permission for a democratic protest at Indira Park in Hyderabad. The party cadres gathered near the Assembly and raised slogans demanding that the Congress government clear the fee reimbursement arrears, which the BJP put at ₹15,000 crore.

Mr. Ramchander Rao, who led the protest in support of students from all the sections, was allegedly forcibly moved away by the police and taken into custody. He was subsequently shifted to the Golconda Police Station.

BJP State general secretary N. Gautam Rao, State chief spokesperson N.V. Subhash and BJYM State president Ganesh Kunde were also arrested by the police during the protest.

The BJP alleged that Mr. Subhash sustained injuries while being taken into custody, while Mr. Kunde reportedly fell seriously unwell during the proceedings.

Several other BJP and BJYM leaders and activists were also detained as police attempted to prevent the protesters from reaching the Assembly premises.

The BJP accused the Congress government of attempting to suppress a peaceful movement being undertaken on behalf of students. Party leaders said the government should immediately release the pending fee reimbursement amount to protect the academic future of thousands of students.