Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) from the Progressive Democratic Front (PDF) K. S. Lakshmana Rao on Wednesday demanded jobs for the 1998 DSC-qualified candidates belonging to the SC, ST and BC communities.
Speaking at a relay hunger strike staged by the candidates at Dharna Chowk, Mr. Lakshmana Rao said Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy had promised during his padayatra that candidates who were treated unfairly in the 1998 DSC batch would be given jobs.
The MLC said that in July 2022, the government invited applications from the DSC-1998 batch candidates who willing to apply for teacher posts. Certificates of 6,754 candidates were verified, but jobs were given only to 4,072 candidates. He said non-compliance of the rule of reservation had left 2,326 candidates belonging to the SC, ST and BC communities and the physically handicapped candidates high and dry.
General secretary of Kula Vipaksha Vyatireka Porata Sangham (Anti-Caste Struggle Committee) A. Malyadri said the candidates who were not in need of a job were appointed, whereas the unemployed candidates from marginalised communities who were in need of urgent financial assistance were sidelined. He said the governments had been ignoring their protests for the last 25 years. The candidates denied jobs mainly were from Krishna, Kurnool Kadapa, Prakasam, Guntur, East and West Godavari and Nellore districts.
State general secretary of Democratic Youth Federation of India G. Ramana, president of the struggle committee G. Mohana Rao, other leaders including P. Ramesh, V. Mary Suhasini, Saraswati and Lakshmi were among others who took part in the relay hunger strike.
