No disrespect to NTR, renaming varsity to give YSR his due: Jagan

AMARAVATI: Justifying the renaming of NTR Health University, Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy on Wednesday said that it was a well thought out move to give due credit to Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy and sought to clarify that he had, by no means, disrespect towards NTR.

Intervening during the motion on passing the Bill to rename NTR Health University as Dr YSR Health University, the Chief Minister said due credit should be given to the deserving like Dr YSR, a practising medical doctor before joining politics. He said that YSR had been a pioneer in taking quality medicare to the common people with his innovative Aarogyasri besides the 108, 104 ambulance services.

Of the existing 11 medical colleges in the state, nine were functioning even before TDP was formed and remaining had come into being with the initiative of Dr YSR. "Our Government is adding 17 medical colleges to give a fillip to medicare. With this, 20 of the 28 medical colleges in the State are due to the efforts taken by YSR and his son. This itself is a credit which qualifies the renaming of the Health University," Jagan said.

Hitting back at the TDP chief, he said that Chandrababu Naidu had no love lost for NTR as he had usurped the party and the Chief Minister's post from his father-in-law which caused mental agony to the founder of the party. "While he could recommend Central Awards to the people who sided with him in his backstabbing of NTR, Chandrababu could not recommend NTR's name for Bharat Ratna while we kept our promise of naming one district after NTR," he said.

The present government has further strengthened medicare and has taken steps to equip all hospitals from village clinics to district hospitals with sufficient staff and medicines while increasing the number of procedures under Aarogyasri, the Chief Minister claimed.

The Bill was later passed by voice vote.