He condemned the allegation of Forest Minister Konda Surekha that he was behind the series of food poisoning taking place in government schools and residential schools in the last few weeks

Hyderabad: Accusing Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy of hatching a conspiracy to destroy the Gurukul education system in the State, senior BRS leader and former bureaucrat RS Praveen alleged that the Chief Minister, in a systematic way, was destroying the Gurukul schools to deny weaker section students quality education and deprive them good future.

He condemned the allegation of Forest Minister Konda Surekha that he was behind the series of food poisoning taking place in government schools and residential schools in the last few weeks. “I demand the government to order a CBI probe into the food poisoning incidents. People will know who is behind it,”he said.

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Addressing a press conference at Telangana Bhavan here on Saturday, Praveen alleged that Revanth Reddy wants to destroy the education system in the State and hence was not appointing education minister since last one year.

“CM has kept the education portfolio with him so that the education sector is disrupted and students belonging to weaker sections do not get education. He himself had announced that due to gurukuls children were not getting emotionally connected with their parents and tried to discourage them from joining gurukuls. Already there is a 40 percent vacancy in Gurukuls in the State as parents are not sending them to the institute,” he alleged.

He alleged that as many as 48 students have died after Congress came to power in the State and of them 23 students died by suicide, as they were unable to bear the poor conditions in residential schools, eight died under suspicious circumstances and 13 due to ill health.

Education being one of the most important portfolios should have been given importance and talented people should have been appointed as the minister, but the Chief Minister knowingly kept the ministry with him so that it was neglected, he alleged.

Ever since the Congress party had come to power in the State, the students were staging protests across the State for teachers, facilities and quality food, he said, adding that the Congress had completely destroyed the residential schools set up by former Chief Minister and BRS president K Chandrashekhar Rao.

“KCR has set up over 1000 residential schools in the State and provided the best education to the students. He even brought schemes to allow weaker section students to study abroad. He provided quality food, dresses, cots, blankets and even night dresses to the students. Today, the students are struggling to get those facilities. Students are falling sick, Students and college managements have been forced to stage dharnas on the roads, leaving aside their studies”he said.

Commenting on the ‘Gurukula Bata’ programme being organised by BRS from Saturday to December 7 across the State to know the prevailing conditions in educational institutions, Praveen said the initiative was just to know the situation of the Gurukuls and not to politicise the issue.

“KTR has asked BRS leaders to visit residential educational institutions, KGBVs, model schools, government residential schools and colleges. Party MLAs, MLCs, MPs, local leaders and student wing leaders would visit these educational institutions. A report will be submitted to KCR after the visit,”he said.