Jagan: Till Lokesh resignation our protest continues

YSR Congress Party chief Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy said on Monday that his party would continue its protest across Andhra Pradesh till the resignation of Education Minister Nara Lokesh and a CBI inquiry into the alleged irregularities in the appointment of teachers.

The former Chief Minister condemned the police highhandedness against YSRCP leaders and cadres staging a protest at the office of the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP) in Vijayawada. He alleged that TDP goons, disguised as teachers, attacked the protestors.

“Chandrababu Naidu Garu, why are you so afraid and agitated when we demand a CBI inquiry into the DSC scam? Can you and your son, Education Minister Nara Lokesh, simply certify your own recruitment process as transparent? What value does a self-issued certificate from those accused of committing the scam carry? Stop making empty claims. If you have the courage, agree to a CBI inquiry,” the YSRCP president said in a post on X.

“The incidents in Vijayawada today show how far your government has fallen. Our party leaders, along with students and unemployed youth, attempted to conduct a peaceful rally demanding a CBI inquiry. But the police blocked them, subjected them to a lathi-charge and allowed your goons, disguised as teachers, to attack them,” he said.

YS Jagan asked if the Opposition does not even have the democratic right to hold a peaceful rally. “Mr Chandrababu Naidu? You are resorting to such desperate measures because serious irregularities have occurred in the DSC recruitment and because you and your son are unable to answer the questions being raised. Whenever you are caught in a scam, creating diversions to escape accountability has become your standard practice. What are we demanding? We are seeking an impartial CBI investigation into irregularities in a recruitment process connected to the futures of lakhs of candidates. If you are so confident that nothing improper happened, why are you afraid of an investigation, particularly when so much evidence has emerged?” the former Chief Minister asked.

He stated that lakhs of young people study for years and spend substantial amounts of money preparing for teacher recruitment examinations. They must have confidence that their hard work and merit will receive justice through a fair government recruitment system.

“Because of the alleged irregularities committed under your government and Education Minister Lokesh, unemployed youth and job aspirants have lost that confidence. Can police barricades, lathi-charges, arrests and stage-managed counter-protests restore this lost trust? Only an impartial CBI investigation can restore public confidence in the recruitment process. You cannot hide a scam by using the police as a shield. You cannot suppress the Opposition’s voice and conceal the facts. DSC candidates must receive justice, and government recruitment must be transparent. That is why we are fighting. Nara Lokesh must accept responsibility for the DSC irregularities and resign as Education Minister. The government must order a CBI inquiry. Until these demands are met, our voice will continue to resonate across the State,” YS Jagan added.