All are equal before law: YSRC leaders

Strongly defending the arrest of TD leader and Narayana Group head Ponguru Narayana in the SSC question paper leak and mass copying case, YSRC leaders said the state has sent a strong message that all are equal before law.

The YSRC government is not vindictive as is being projected by a section of the media, they said.

Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, government public affairs adviser Sajjala Ramakrishna said the state government took action against Narayana after a thorough investigation.

“He turned copying and other malpractices into an organised crime and emerged as a specialist in encouraging mass copying and question paper leaks to break records in achieving 100 per cent pass percentage for his institutions,” Ramakrishna Reddy said.

The adviser said all such unhealthy and criminal practices were encouraged during Chandrababu Naidu’s term in government. “The chief Minister shall not support such malpractices as it could impact students' future in the long run,” he said.Ramakrishna Reddy pointed out that Y.S. Konda Reddy, an associate of Chief Minister Jagan

Mohan Reddy was arrested on Monday for threatening an infrastructure company. “We believe all are equal before law and the arrests justify the mandate given to Jagan Mohan Reddy by a rejection of Chandrababu Naidu and his governance which had failed to check such malpractices.”

Education minister Botsa Satyanarayana said law will take its course in the paper leak case. “We have arrested about 60 persons of which 22 are from private institutions, including the VicePrincipal of Narayana Schools,” he said. Energy minister Ramachandra Reddy said the malpractice vis-a-vis SSC question papers had taken place in all of the Narayana educational institutions. He recalled that the police have arrested 60 persons in this connection, including Narayana and refuted allegations of political bias. The police made the arrests based on emerging facts, he said. Water resources minister Ambati Rambabu has clarified that the AP CID arrested Narayana on preliminary evidence of his involvement in the leak. He alleged that the Narayana Group were getting top ranks with the help of exam malpractices. This turned out to be a huge scandal, he said. Tourism minister R.K Roja termed Naidu and his son and TD leader N. Lokesh as “pests”.