Hyderabad: Telangana BJP chief N Ramchander Rao on Monday raised serious concerns over the deepening financial crisis in private colleges, saying the surge in unpaid dues has left institutions unable to meet salary commitments.Addressing the media at the party office, he pointed out that many private colleges across the state have been forced to shut down temporarily, a situation he attributed directly to the state govt's mismanagement. The BJP, he said, "fully supports the decision taken by private managements" to halt operations under such dire circumstances. Highlighting the scale of the problem, Rao said, "The Congress govt has outstanding fee reimbursement dues exceeding ₹8,000 crore, but not a single penny has been released in the past two years." He explained that this backlog has crippled colleges, making it impossible for them to pay salaries to professors, lecturers, and teaching staff. Despite repeated assurances, he lamented, "For the past six months, the govt has been telling private college managements 'we will resolve it soon,' yet no clear decision or release of pending dues has been made." Rao also criticised unfulfilled election promises, stating, "In the last assembly elections, the Telangana Congress promised to provide students with educational assurance cards worth ₹5 lakh. However, this promise has not been fulfilled yet." Rao further pointed out the govt's failure to prioritise education infrastructure. "Chief minister Revanth Reddy, who visited Osmania University, promised to provide funds of ₹1,000 crore. Yet, the state is in such a dire situation that even pensions for retired teachers are not being provided." He added, "It is unacceptable not to construct even basic buildings for new universities. The state govt should take necessary action immediately."