Senior TDP leader and former minister, Ganta Srinivasa Rao, on Friday alleged that former chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy had destroyed the reputation of Andhra University in Visakhapatnam. Speaking to media persons on Friday, the former minister said that Jagan Mohan Reddy had turned this internationally reputed institution as the YSR Congress party office.

Srinivasa Rao said that Jagan Mohan Reddy had appointed his loyalists as vice-chancellor and registrar of the university. The two have turned the university into the YSR Congress party office, he alleged. He further said that the degrees of the university were well recognized across the world for all these years. However, that recognition is gone now as both the vice-chancellor and registrar have brought down the academic activities in the university.

The education standards have come down in the university in the last five years, Srinivasa Rao alleged. The vice-chancellor took no decision to increase the education standards of the university in the last five years, he said. The vice-chancellor gave more importance to the YSR Congress activities on the campus rather than academic activities, he alleged.

The former minister said that the present NDA government headed by chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu in the state would not leave anyone who erred during the Jagan Mohan Reddy government. The present government would take action against everyone and restore the educational standards of the university.

Meanwhile, Andhra University vice-chancellor Prof. P V G D Prasada Reddy and registrar Prof. Stephenson resigned to their posts on Friday. Prof. Kishore Babu took charge as the incharge vice-chancellor. The student unions have been holding protests in the campus for the past few days alleging that the vice-chancellor should step down.

The student unions alleged that the vice-chancellor used the research scholars to help the ruling YSR Congress in the last five years. He had turned his chamber as the YSR Congress party office, the students alleged.