*Suspending Teachers for Raising TET Demand is Dictatorship*

Tadepalli, August 15: YSRCP MLCs Kalpalatha Reddy and Lella Appi Reddy strongly condemned the suspension of teacher-union representatives who travelled to Delhi seeking TET exemption for in-service teachers, calling the action an assault on democratic rights and a clear extension of “Red Book politics” into the Education Department.

They said teachers Venkatanath Reddy, Amarnath Reddy and Sangameswar Reddy had accompanied YSRCP MPs and MLCs only to place the long-pending TET issue before Union Minister Prahlad Joshi. Suspending them without even a proper inquiry or show-cause notice, and linking their Delhi visit to protests over DSC irregularities, was completely unjustified. The three teachers neither participated in any DSC protest nor submitted any representation on DSC, they clarified.

Kalpalatha Reddy demanded immediate withdrawal of the suspension orders and warned that YSRCP would join thousands of teachers in a statewide agitation if the government failed to act. She questioned why the coalition government, despite being part of the NDA at the Centre, had not itself pressed for a legal solution for teachers who have served for 20–30 years and are nearing retirement.

Appi Reddy said issuing suspension orders on Independence Day itself exposed the government’s intolerance towards dissent. He said employees were already suffering without IR, PRC and five pending DAs, with overall employee dues running into thousands of crores.

Both leaders said YSRCP would also confront the government in the Legislative Council over the Mega DSC–2025 irregularities, question-paper leak, transfers of key officials and recruitment process. They reiterated that Nara Lokesh must resign and a CBI investigation must be ordered into DSC.

“Suspensions, arrests and cases cannot silence teachers or suppress democratic questioning. Withdraw the suspensions immediately, or the teaching community will take the fight statewide,” they warned.