Hyderabad: Former minister T. Harish Rao criticised Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy for neglecting hostel students while spending crores on football events.
After visiting students hospitalised due to food poisoning, Harish Rao said the Chief Minister focused more on football than welfare. He said hostel students continued to fall sick despite government claims.
At King Kothi Government Hospital, Harish Rao met students from the Baglingampally Minority Gurukul School. During the visit, he enquired about their health and spoke to doctors.
Later, while addressing the media, Harish Rao said food contamination incidents were occurring almost daily in government hostels and gurukul schools.
Harish Rao criticism over repeated food poisoning cases
Referring to earlier incidents, Harish Rao said students from a BC Gurukul school in Shamirpet approached a police station after finding worms in rice. He also cited a recent case at Chandu Nayak Thanda in Madhapur.
In that incident, 43 children fell ill after consuming mid-day meals. Harish Rao said authorities hospitalised the students.
He further said around 90 students from the Baglingampally Minority Gurukul School fell ill after eating contaminated food. These students were admitted to hospitals in the Musheerabad area.
Despite repeated incidents, Harish Rao alleged that no minister visited the affected students. He said several students now feared returning to hostels.
According to Harish Rao, children were living in fear due to poor food quality. He blamed the government for ignoring basic safety.
Comparing regimes, Harish Rao said students earlier received quality food made with fine rice. He alleged the current government served coarse rice and undercooked meals.
Turning to policy claims, Harish Rao criticised the “Vision 2047” slogan. He called it “Poison 2047” for students.
He questioned how children would survive until proposed integrated schools became operational. Harish Rao also raised concerns over budget priorities.
On expenditure, Harish Rao alleged that the Chief Minister spent ₹100 crore on football events. He also claimed ₹5 crore went into stadium works.
Targeting Rahul Gandhi, Harish Rao said the Congress leader ignored farmer suicides and student deaths. He alleged that Gandhi visited Hyderabad only to attend a football event.
In conclusion, Harish Rao said both the Education Minister and the Chief Minister failed in their duties. He demanded immediate steps to ensure safe and nutritious food in hostels.