Telugu Desam Party’s second-in-command Nara Lokesh on Wednesday issued a 36-hour ‘deadline’ for the Andhra Pradesh government to cancel 10th standard and intermediate examinations in order to save the lives of lakhs of students, parents and teachers in the state from Covid-19.

The TDP national general secretary demanded the state government change its adamant stand and admonished it to mention in the affidavit to the Supreme Court that it is willing to cancel the exams.

“Otherwise, the Telugu Desam Party would further step up its agitation as well as its legal struggle to bring the stubborn regime to its knees and to protect the interests of students at any cost,” he said.

Incidentally, Lokesh started the agitation after introspection and stated that as a father he would not like to send his own son to write examinations at the risk of getting infected.

“Minister Adimulapu Suresh should also think like a father and he should introspect whether it would be correct to apply different moral standards for his own children and those for the rest of the parents in the state,” he said.

The former TDP minister urged Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy to pay a little attention to the students’ problems and called on the government to immediately promote all students to higher classes.

“No exams should be conducted and marking system should be followed on the lines of the CBSE. It is high time for Reddy to decide whether he would want to continue to be a ‘Mental Mama’ or change to become a ‘Manchi Mama’ (Good Uncle) to the children,” Lokesh noted.

According to Lokesh, an IIT-Kanpur report has warned of the likelihood of a third Covid wave peaking in October and observed that if the southern state were to hold exams in July or August, it would put the students at greater risk compared to other states.