Tadepalli, November 13: Former Minister and Bapatla district YSRCP President Merugu Nagarjuna warned the coalition government that filing illegal cases against YSRCP leaders and workers will not stop the massive people’s movement against the privatization of government medical colleges.
Speaking to the media at the party's central office in Tadepalli, he condemned the government’s vindictive actions and declared that YSRCP will continue its struggle without fear or hesitation.
Nagarjuna said that in Santanutalapadu constituency, where a peaceful protest was held against privatization, police filed false cases against him and 77 others, proving the government’s intolerance to democratic dissent. He stated that the right to protest is being trampled, and the government owes an explanation for why cases were filed against citizens who were simply demanding that healthcare and medical education remain accessible to the poor. He asserted that threats and fabricated cases will never intimidate YSRCP cadres, and that Chandrababu’s belief that such harassment will weaken the movement is “nothing but foolishness.”
He said people across all 175 constituencies responded overwhelmingly to YSRCP’s statewide agitation, with students, intellectuals, and public organizations joining the movement demanding that medical colleges remain in the public sector. He reminded that YS Jagan Mohan Reddy established 17 government medical colleges and completed 7 of them with the clear aim of ensuring free, quality healthcare and medical education for the poor. But after coming to power in 2024, Chandrababu Naidu began a systematic effort to hand these colleges to private players under the guise of PPP, destroying the very purpose for which they were built.
Nagarjuna stated that the One-crore signature movement led by YSRCP in the past month has shaken the government, which is now resorting to suppression and illegal arrests. “The coalition government is suffocating because it cannot tolerate the public awakening. Unable to counter the truth, they have launched a witch-hunt, dragging local leaders, fabricating cases, and trying to silence the voice of the people,” he said. He added that the people clearly see the government’s conspiracy to intimidate YSRCP and plunder public assets under the cover of privatization.
Nagarjuna declared that YSRCP will not retreat under any circumstances. “We will not allow medical colleges built for the poor to be handed over to private cronies. Our struggle will continue until this destructive privatization plan is scrapped,” he said.
Chandrababu abandoned Farmers; 
