Coming under pressure from the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party and the Janata Dal (Secular) in the Legislative Assembly on Thursday, the government withdrew its circular seeking to withdraw concessions in fee and scholarships to students from Other Backward Classes and minority communities if they participate in strikes.
BJP members Vishweshwara Hegde Kageri and R. Ashok wanted Minister for Social Welfare H. Anjaneya to withdraw the circular, saying it curtailed the democratic freedom of students. He was joined by other vociferous members of the KRRS and others.
They objected to the statement of Mr. Anjaneya, who said the government’s circular was in consonance with the 1977 order of the Centre. The circular had also stipulated that students should produce Aadhaar card to avail of concessions.
Enraged at the statement, the members trooped into the well of the House, demanding withdrawal of the circular. Mr. Anjaneya’s statement that the government did not intend to curb the freedom and rights of the students fell on deaf ears.
Speaker Kagodu Thimmappa himself stated that he had been Minister for Social Welfare on two occasions in the past and had not heard of the 1977 order of the Centre, and asked Mr. Anjaneya to ‘examine’ it. Congress member K.R. Ramesh Kumar intervened and said no government would agree to the circular curbing the right of students to participate in strikes
