Andhra govt running away from District Selection Committee debate as it has no answers: YSRCP

Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh) [India], August 20 (ANI): YSRCP MLCs on Thursday accused the Andhra Pradesh coalition government of "running away" from a debate on alleged irregularities in the District Selection Committee (DSC) teacher recruitment process, alleging that it had no answers to the questions raised by the opposition.
Speaking at the Assembly Media Point, the YSRCP MLCs demanded a CBI inquiry into the recruitment process and sought the resignation of Education Minister Nara Lokesh, asserting that their agitation would continue until accountability was fixed.
The MLCs said they were ready for a debate not only on the alleged DSC irregularities but also on issues including law and order, the alleged ganja trade, farmers' concerns and the safety of women and children.
They alleged that ineligible candidates had secured teaching jobs under the Sports Quota using fake certificates and without appearing for the examination and demanded that the government explain how such appointments were made.
MLCs Kumbha Ravibabu, Bommu Israel, Isaq Basha, Varudu Kalyani and Kalpalatha Reddy raised questions over the DSC recruitment process and said several issues remained unanswered.
They questioned the appointment of the same convenor for DSC and SCERT and referred to the alleged blocking of the ID of outsourcing candidate Naveen, despite him securing the first rank in the state.
The MLCs also questioned the inclusion of sports such as ice skating, which they claimed had little relevance to Andhra Pradesh, and alleged that questionable certificates were accepted during the recruitment process.
Rejecting the government's allegation that the previous YSRCP government had failed to recruit teachers, the MLCs claimed that more than 16,000 teacher posts, including appointments related to the 1998 and 2008 DSC candidates, were filled during the tenure of former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.
The YSRCP legislators also challenged the government to order a CBI inquiry into both DSC and Group-1 recruitments, saying an independent investigation would establish the facts.
Ravibabu separately demanded the withdrawal of GO 51, alleging that tribal rights protected under the 1/70 Act and the Forest Rights Act were being violated in connection with hydropower projects.
The YSRCP MLCs said they would continue their fight for unemployed youth, students and tribal communities both inside the legislature and among the people until their demands were addressed. (ANI)