Hans News Service Kurnool

Thepolitical controversy between the ruling alliance and the YSRCP over the Mega DSC-2025 recruitment has taken a new turn, with a large number of newly-recruited teachers taking to the streets in Kurnool on Saturday to reject allegations of irregularities in the selection process.

The teachers asserted that their appointments were made strictly as per rules and purely on merit, without any political interference. Teachers from the erstwhile Kurnool, Kadapa and Anantapur districts participated in the ‘Atma Gaurava Rally’, which began at Kondareddy Buruju and culminated at the Zilla Parishad office.

Carrying placards, they appealed to political parties not to drag their appointments into political controversies and raised slogans condemning what they termed as false propaganda and baseless allegations against the Mega DSC.

The newly-appointed teachers said they had appeared for the DSC examination and secured their jobs through a competitive selection process based on merit. They expressed anguish that political allegations, without proper understanding of the recruitment procedure, were creating unnecessary doubts about their careers and hard-earned jobs.

They demanded that anyone questioning the recruitment process should come forward with evidence instead of making political statements.

The teachers also raised slogans such as “DSC means Chandrababu, Chandrababu means DSC” and expressed support for the government and education minister Nara Lokesh. They maintained that their appointments were the result of their hard work and merit and should not be turned into a political issue. The teachers recalled that the coalition government had fulfilled its promise to unemployed youth by issuing the DSC notification within six months of assuming office. After conducting the examination, the government completed the recruitment process and provided employment to thousands of candidates.

The teachers credited education minister Nara Lokesh with playing a key role in expediting the Mega DSC process and said the jobs they secured were the outcome of their preparation and performance. Meanwhile, the government has repeatedly maintained that there was no scope for irregularities in the recruitment and that the examination, merit list, reservations and roster were processed in accordance with the rules specified in the notification.

The Kurnool rally has effectively added a new dimension to the ongoing political battle over the Mega DSC. While the YSRCP has been staging protests and alleging irregularities in the appointments, the newly recruited teachers themselves have come forward to defend the recruitment process and their selections.

They alleged that attempts to question their appointments for political gains were causing unnecessary apprehension among thousands of successful candidates.

The ruling side has also accused the YSRCP of politicising the issue for political mileage, while Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Minister Nara Lokesh have maintained that the recruitment was transparent. With the beneficiaries of the Mega DSC now publicly defending their appointments, the ‘Atma Gaurava Rally’ in Kurnool is being seen as a direct response from the newly appointed teachers to the controversy surrounding the Mega DSC-2025.