Andhra: YSR Congress launches one crore signature campaign over privatisation of medical colleges

Amaravati, Oct 10 (IANS) Andhra Pradesh’s main opposition party the YSR Congress Party on Friday launched one crore signature demanding a rollback of the privatisation of medical colleges by the TDP-led coalition government.

A day after YSRCP president and former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy led a massive protest at Narsipatnam in Anakapalli district, the party launched the state-wide campaign.

The party organised Rachabanda programme in all 175 constituencies on Friday where the signature campaign posters were unveiled.

During the programme which would continue till November 22, the party will highlight the ‘neglect and failures' of Chandrababu Naidu-led government.

As part of the agitation plan, huge constituency-level rallies will be organised on October 28, followed by district-level rallies and memorandum submissions on November 12.

Signature papers would move from constituencies to district centres on November 23 and from districts to Vijayawada in lorries

On November 23, the collected signature sheets from all districts will be sent to the party's central office.

On November 24, they will be consolidated at the headquarters, and on November 25, under the leadership of Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, one crore signatures will be submitted to the Governor.

The party has appealed to intellectuals, civil society organizations, and other political parties to participate actively in this campaign.

Former Minister Gudivada Amarnath said on Friday that the huge public support Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy's Narsipatnam tour has drawn shows the solidarity people have expressed for the party’s campaign against privatization of medical colleges.

This shows that people have endorsed our stand against the privatization of medical colleges and our concern over medicare and medical education for poorer sections of society, he said.

Amarnath and another YSRCP leader K. K. Raju said the Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy government had given priority to public health and took the initiative to bring in 17 medical colleges, of which classes began in seven.

Chandrababu Naidu, instead of completing the colleges, has turned them over to the PPP model, which benefits private players. Even free seats would now become costly and unaffordable to poorer sections of society, they said, adding that medicare would now be expensive and corporates would exploit the poor.

--IANS

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