A major controversy has erupted in Telangana after IAS officer Ms. VS Alagu Varshini (2012 batch), Secretary of the Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society, allegedly remarked that students in government schools, who are not from posh backgrounds, should wash their own toilets, cook their own food, and sweep their rooms. Her statement has triggered widespread outrage, with the opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) accusing her of holding a discriminatory view against students from marginalised communities.
Ms. Varsini has defended herself, claiming that her comments were selectively edited, leading to a misrepresentation. Despite her clarification, the backlash has intensified, with political leaders demanding her removal from office. The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) has taken serious note of the incident and issued a notice to Telangana Chief Secretary Mr. K. Ramakrishna Rao (1991-batch IAS officer) and Director General of Police Dr. Jitender (1992-batch IPS officer), seeking a detailed report on the remarks within a fortnight.
BRS leader Ms. K. Kavitha has strongly condemned the officer’s remarks, stating that they reflect a dangerous mindset that could push Dalit children back into the social roles that their previous generations struggled to escape. She also accused the Congress-led state government of slashing grants that had previously ensured the employment of sanitation workers in these schools. According to her, during the BRS regime, each social welfare school received Rs. 40,000 per month to hire four temporary workers for cleaning duties – a provision stopped by the Congress government from May this year.
Ms. Kavitha further alleged that the Congress administration had removed assistant caretakers from 240 Gurukul schools, forcing children to act as wardens and manage kitchen responsibilities. She said that forcing children to clean toilets under such circumstances is both discriminatory and exploitative, violating child rights and the core purpose of social welfare residential schools.
Sharing an audio clip of the officer’s remarks on social media platform X, Ms. Kavitha demanded that the state government immediately remove Ms. Varsini from her post and reinstate the grants to ensure proper upkeep of welfare institutions. She criticised Chief Minister Mr. Revanth Reddy for adopting an “anti-poor, anti-Dalit” stance and called the episode a reflection of the Congress government’s neglect toward marginalised communities.
As public pressure mounts and political tensions rise, the state government is under increasing scrutiny to respond to the controversy and address the concerns surrounding the welfare of students in its social residential schools.
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