Jagan Mohan Reddy Sparks Controversy Over Renaming Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Award After His Father YSR Reddy, Cancels Order After Facing Criticism
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy on Tuesday withdraws controversial order to rename “APJ Abdul Kalam Pratibha Puraskar Awards” after his late father YSR Reddy. The order which was issued on Monday was withdrawn after the government faced flak from opposition parties.
Hyderabad, November 5: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy on Tuesday withdrew controversial order to rename “APJ Abdul Kalam Pratibha Puraskar Awards” after his late father YSR Reddy. The order which was issued on Monday was withdrawn after the government faced flak from opposition parties. The order stated that the "Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Pratibha Vidya Puraskar" will now be known as "YSR Vidya Puraskars". Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is Acting Like a Psycho, Implementing Anti-people Policies, Says Chandrababu Naidu.
The award is given to class 10 students for their outstanding performance in academics in board exams. This year, the award is scheduled to be presented on National Education Day on November 11. It consists of a merit certificate, a memento and scholarships.
Hitting out at Reddy, Telugu Desam Party chief and former CM Chandrababu Naidu termed Andhra Pradesh government’s decision as “shocking”. He tweeted, “Dr Kalam accomplished much for the nation with his inspiring life. Jagan Reddy's government changing APJ Abdul Kalam Pratibha Puraskar to YSR Vidya Puraskar is a shocking method of self-aggrandisement at the cost of disrespecting a much-venerated man.” N Chandrababu Naidu Slams YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-Led Andhra Pradesh Govt Over ‘Artificial Sand Scarcity’.
Chandrababu Naidu's Tweet:
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also lashed out at Reddy for renaming the award. BJP spokesperson Amit Malviya tweeted, “"It is not surprising that Jagan Reddy thinks his late father was a more accomplished scientist and academic than Bharat Ratna Dr APJ Abdul Kalam. After all he comes from a party, which named every award, scheme, stadium, road, airport etc, after members of the Nehru-Gandhi family.”
Amit Malviya's Tweet:
Jagan Reddy was sworn-in as the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh in May this year. In the 2019 assembly elections, his party Yuvajana Sramika Raithu Congress Party won 151 of the 175 seats in the state Assembly, decimating the TDP headed by Naidu, who became the first CM of the state after it was bifurcated to carve out Telangana five years ago.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 05, 2019 02:05 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).