Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy has stoked a controversy following his decision to renamed an award scheme named after former President APJ Abdul Kalam with his father’s name. YS Jaganmohan Reddy is son of late Congress leader and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Rajsekhar Reddy.
According to the order issued by the state education department, ‘Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Pratibha Vidya Puraskar’, which is awarded to Class 10 students for outstanding academic performance in the board examinations will now be known as ‘YSR Vidya Puraskara’. The award consists of a merit certificate, a memento and scholarships to meet the cost of higher education. The government order states that the awards will be given on November 11, birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad celebrated as National Education Day.
However, the decision evoked sharp criticism from various quarters and this forced the CM to withdraw the order.
Former Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu said, “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-aggrandizement at the cost of disrespecting a much-venerated man.”
BJP’s national I-T cell head Amit Malviya in a tweet said, “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.”
BJP leader Lanka Dinakar said, “This shows utmost arrogance in the decisions of Andhra Pradesh government by disrespecting the great scientist and former President of India by replacing his name with the name of former CM and father of the present CM.”
However, as criticism mounted, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy ordered to immediately cancel the government order that had renamed the awards. He further ordered to reinstate the name of ‘Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Pratibha Puraskar Awards’.
