Tadepalli

Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) chief and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday alleged that irregularities in the District Selection Committee (DSC) recruitment process were clearly evident and accused the state government of refusing to acknowledge the alleged mistakes.

Jagan alleged that the government is willing to discuss the issue in the Legislative Assembly but is avoiding a discussion in the Legislative Council, where Opposition members could raise questions over the alleged irregularities.

He claimed that Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu was apprehensive about the Opposition highlighting the alleged mistakes in the recruitment process.

Jagan also questioned Education Minister Nara Lokesh's claim that there was nothing wrong with assigning both the responsibility of preparing the DSC question paper and conducting the examinations to the same officer.

"In the history of AP DSC recruitments, the two responsibilities were never entrusted to the same individual. Assigning both responsibilities to one person laid the foundation for the irregularities," Jagan said.

The allegations come amid a broader Opposition campaign over the conduct of the DSC recruitment examination and appointments in the state.

YSRCP leaders have questioned how the DSC examination was conducted without a designated convenor and have sought clarity over the appointment of a State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) outsourcing employee who subsequently secured a district-top rank.

The Opposition has also pointed to what it described as contradictions in explanations regarding the employee's appointment and has demanded a detailed inquiry into the matter.

YSRCP leaders have further sought a comprehensive investigation into appointments made under the sports quota and the issuance of sports certificates.

They have also raised allegations that lakhs of rupees were demanded from candidates for jobs, referring to audio recordings that had surfaced in connection with the allegations.

YSRCP leaders have demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged DSC irregularities and called for Lokesh's resignation, holding the Education Minister responsible for the recruitment process.

YSRCP MLCs staged a protest on August 17at the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council premises, demanding a thorough inquiry into the alleged irregularities in DSC recruitment.

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The protest was led by Legislative Council Opposition Leader Botsa Satyanarayana along with other YSRCP MLCs.

Earlier in August, YSRCP spokesperson and MLA Tatiparthi Chandrasekhar had also demanded Lokesh's resignation and a CBI probe into alleged DSC paper leaks, recruitment irregularities and what he described as injustice to meritorious candidates.