Airlift pupils from Manipur, says Lokesh

Amaravati: TDP national general secretary Nara Lokesh demanded that the state government should immediately airlift the AP students stranded in Manipur.He said the state government has not responded to repeated requests from students in distress. He said the Telangana government organised special flight to shift their students while the AP government remained silent on the issue. “More than 100 students from AP are studying in Manipur NIT and agriculture university. They are scared. Chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy should respond quickly on such issues,” said Lokesh.He said that it was unfortunate that about 54 people were killed in the clashes between the local communities in Manipur resulting in widespread violence in the North-East state. He said the AP government should deploy a special team to Manipur to bring the students home. “The AP government set up a call centre seeking response from students. How could the students call when the entire communication network was shut down as a precautionary measure?” asked Lokesh. He said the state government should directly negotiate with the Manipur government and make safe passage for the shifting of AP students.