TDP MLC Nara Lokesh has thanked Minister for Education Adimulapu Suresh for saving lakhs of students and their parents from Coronavirus threat by postponing the Inter examinations eventually. It was a bold decision on the part of the Minister not to blindly follow the adamant stand of the Chief Minister. It was indeed a victory for the virtual agitation and legal struggle waged by the students against the Government’s initial decision to hold the exams compulsorily.
It was Mr. Lokesh who first started the agitation for postponing the exams after students made requests to him on social media. He said now that a great threat to over 15 lakh students was averted with today’s postponement of exams. Had the Government taken the decision in the first week of April itself, over 10,000 students would have been protected from Covid infections. The practical exams conducted during the initial stages of Covid spread had led to infections among some students.
Mr. Lokesh appealed to the Government to take a conscious decision on the 10th class exams which were scheduled to begin in a month’s time. Any decision on going ahead with the exams should be taken only after a close review of the prevailing Coronavirus situation at that time.
On the Tirupati by-election result, Mr. Nara Lokesh said that it was a defeat for democracy and a victory for the YCP leaders. Also, the YCP’s majority was ‘less than half’ of over 6 lakh votes that the ruling party leaders projected in this election from the beginning. The YCP could get even this victory by misusing power and official machinery at every level. All ministers and over 120 MLAs were in the field to influence the voters.
Mr. Lokesh said that busloads of bogus voters were brought from other segments and other States. The media itself showed videos as proof of how bogus voters themselves admitted to their illegal activities. In addition to this, the police threatened the TDP agents, the officials worked for the YCP candidate and the volunteers committed all sorts of violations in favour of the YCP.
