Row on school fee refund rages on

■ Actor, family slam AP Planning Commission chief

The fee reimbursement row between the ruling party and actor Manchu Mohan Babu continued to rage on the third day on Sunday.

After the AP Planning Commission co-chairman C. Kutumba Rao issued a statement on Saturday claiming that the AP government was due `6.48 crore to the Sri Vidyaniketan group, the actor’s associates said the government had to reimburse `19.61 crore.

Amid this, Mr Mohan Babu claimed he was facing a threat. He criticised an unnamed person, said to be AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, who the actor referred to as “he” and “him” Mr Kutumba Rao accused Mohan Babu of politicising the issue and committing huge fraud in the disguise of running educational institutions.

To this, the Manchu family including Mr Mohan Babu and his son Manchu Manoj posted an open letter on Twitter, indirectly referring to Mr Rao and attacking him. They were joined by the staff of the educational institutions, parents of the students and shopowners in front of the campus.

Speaking to mediapersons, the group’s special officer Thummala Gopal Rao said under the Janmabhoomi scholarship scheme, the government had to release 75 per cent of the total before the conclusion of the academic year.

“We have received only minimal amount as the first instalment, and then another instalment which did not cover dues,” he said and put the arrears at `19.61 crore.

Mr Mohan Babu’s letter posted on Twitter created a minor storm. He said that the person he was talking about might kill him and his family and ruin the educational institutions. “Now I have opened my mouth and he is trying to mute me by sending his goons, who may go to any extent to defame me. He backstabbed TD founder N.T. Rama Rao himself and might try to do the same to me,” he wrote.

Manchu Manoj posted a letter on Twitter and claimed that the government had not cleared the first instalment and paid a small amount as the second instalment.

■ MOHAN BABU said he was facing a threat. He criticised an unnamed person, said to be AP CM N. Chandrababu Naidu, who the actor referred to as “he” and “him”.