YSRCP Burns PPP GOs in Bhogi Bonfire; Demand Rollback of Privatization Move

YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leaders on Tuesday staged a symbolic protest against the Chandrababu Naidu-led government’s decision to privatise government medical colleges under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, demanding an immediate rollback of the move.

The protest was held as part of Bhogi celebrations at the YSRCP district office, led by the party’s women’s wing. Leaders lit the traditional Bhogi bonfire and burned copies of Government Orders related to medical college privatisation, terming the policy anti-people and detrimental to public healthcare.

YSRCP Visakhapatnam district president KK Raju accused the Telugu Desam Party-led coalition government of coming to power on false promises and betraying all sections of society over the past nineteen months. He said the Bhogi fire symbolised the people’s rejection of deception, authoritarianism, and betrayal, and noted that party leaders prayed for a change in the Chief Minister’s mindset.

Raju asserted that the decision to privatise ten newly sanctioned medical colleges strikes at the very foundation of public healthcare and medical education, and warned that it would weaken government-run institutions. He demanded that the Chief Minister immediately withdraw the decision in the interest of students and the public at large.

YSRCP Visakhapatnam district women’s wing president Perada Ramanakumari alleged that the coalition government had cheated youth, employees, the unemployed, farmers, and women, leaving every section of society distressed. She remarked that while Sankranti was celebrated with joy during the YSRCP regime, the festival has lost its spirit under the present government, with women facing the brunt of policy failures. She urged the government to prioritise public welfare and honour the commitments made to women.

Former minister Pasupuleti Balaraju, former MLAs Tippala Nagireddy, Tainala Vijayakumar and Chintalapudi Venkataramaiah, constituency coordinators Malla Vijayaprasad, Vasupalli Ganesh Kumar and Molli Apparao, Deputy Mayor Kattamuri Satish, corporators, and several senior party leaders participated in the protest.