Telangana, Centre in war of words over medical colleges

Hyderabad: Telangana Minister K.T. Rama Rao and Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya continue to be engaged in a war of words on Twitter after the former’s tweet that not even one medical college was sanctioned to the state by the BJP-led government at the Centre.

Mandaviya hit back at the state government saying it did not submit any proposal for medical colleges.

Rama Rao, who is also working president of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), disputed the central minister’s claim.

“Mansukh Ji, Wish you had a review before you chose to respond. Attached are responses of your predecessors to the requests from Telangana Health Ministers from 2015 & 2019 Telangana Govt has consistently requested for medical colleges but fact is your Govt delivered ZERO,” wrote KTR, as Rama Rao is popularly known.

“Before you jump up & respond, let me also remind you that your Govt failed to even fill the 544 Jobs Vacant in AIIMS Bibinagar AIIMS was sanctioned during the UPA Govt & the fact is not ONE educational institution was sanctioned by NPA Govt; neither by your Dept nor by HRD,” added KTR.

The war of words stated with KTR’s tweet on Sunday that Chief Minister KCR scripting history in medical education.

He pointed out that prior to 2014, in 67 years only five government medical colleges were setup in Telangana but in the last eight years, 16 new medical colleges were sanctionedA and 13 more to be setup making it one medical college per district.

“Now let me tell you how many medical colleges our PM Modi Ji sanctioned to Telangana. ZERO,” he wrote

The Union Minister hit back and said: “How many proposals for medical colleges have been sent by your Telangana State Government? ‘Zero’. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sanctioned the highest (number of) government medical colleges in the shortest time, without partiality, to those States who made proposals.”

After KTR’s reply, Mandaviya wrote that there is a difference between sending a simple letter and a formal proposal according to the scheme requirements

Mandaviya stated that the Centre always requested and guided Telangana state to send a formal proposal with DPR as per scheme requirements.

In the latest tweet on the issue, the TRS leader posed this question: “Sir, your cabinet colleague from Telangana says 9 colleges were sanctioned The Governor says new medical colleges have been sanctioned You claim that we haven’t applied. Your reply in parliament says even when UP asked for 14, Govt sanctioned 27 Why this hypocrisy & duplicity?”