Members of the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) led by Visakhapatnam district president K.K. Raju staged a protest in the city on Tuesday, demanding the resignation of IT and HRD Minister Nara Lokesh over the alleged irregularities in the recently conducted District Selection Committee (DSC) examinations.

The protesters dressed in black as a mark of protest, raised slogans against the State government and Mr. Lokesh, alleging that the recruitment process had been marred by irregularities.

Addressing the gathering, Mr. Raju alleged that the State government had failed to conduct the DSC examinations in a fair and transparent manner. Drawing a comparison with the controversy surrounding the NEET examination, he said that just as the Union Education Minister was held accountable following the nationwide outrage over the alleged paper leak, Mr. Lokesh should also accept responsibility for the alleged lapses in the DSC examinations and resign from his post.

He further alleged that students, unemployed youth and job aspirants had been dissatisfied with the NDA government ever since it assumed office in the State. Stating that the YSRCP would continue to stand by students and unemployed youth, Mr. Raju said the party would intensify its agitation and continue protests, until the Minister stepped down.

YSRCP MLC Varudu Kalyani criticised Mr. Lokesh, alleging that he had failed in his responsibilities as the Education Minister. She claimed that the government had not fulfilled several promises made to students and unemployed youth, including reimbursement of fee dues, implementation of the ‘Nirudhyoga Bruthi’ (unemployment allowance) scheme, and creation of employment opportunities as promised before the elections.