Members of the Veera Mahila wing of the Jana Sena party hosted a one-day deeksha on Saturday calling for the state government to cancel plans to conduct the SSC and Intermediate Board exams in the face of the unprecedented COVID crisis.
The women held the protest in their respective homes at the behest of their party president Pawan Kalyan.
They said the situation was very dire due to the rapid spread of the virus. People were afraid to step out of their homes. In such troubled times, it was unwise for the government to conduct investigations and put lakhs of life in danger.
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) had canceled the 10th exam and many states had followed suit, with student safety a priority.
They warned that if the government did not obey their plea, they would resort to a nationwide protest along with student organizations, students and their parents.
They said the COVID-19 tests stopped while the virus spread was at its peak. In this atmosphere of fear and uncertainty, the government expected students to take their exams, they criticized.
The protest leaders included party committee member P. Yasaswini, Srikalahasti, Vinutha Kota, female leaders Ghantasala Venkata Lakshmi, Ravi Soujanya and A. Subhashini.