Tamil Nadu: Tamilisai Soundararajan, Pon Radhakrishnan differ on bus fare increase

Krishnagiri: Tamil Nadu BJP appears to be divided on the issue of the state government hiking bus fares with state unit chief Tamilisai Soundararajan and Union minister of state for Shipping Pon Radhakrishnan publicly contradicting each other.

Speaking to reporters in Hosur on Sunday, Radhakrishnan said he saw nothing wrong in the hike in bus fares since such things are decided according to the prevailing situation.

“They should have done this long back when the prices of fuel and other commodities increased, but they failed to do as since they were afraid of losing votes. They have come out with announcement on fare hike after six years which, according to me, is not a mistake,” Radhakrishnan told reporters here.

He also said the state government would not have had to face strong protests if it had increased the fares periodically instead of doing it at one go. “People seem to be upset because the fare hike has been imposed on them at one go,” he said.

Radhakrishnan’s comments contradict the Tamil Nadu BJP which has outright rejected the fare hike and has also called for a protest across the state on January 24. TN BJP chief Tamilisai Soundararajan opposed the hike when the announcement came on Friday and reiterated her stand on Sunday.

Speaking to reporters in Madurai, the BJP leader sought to know from the sate government why it increased the salary of MLAs when the state was reeling under financial crisis. "The bus fare hike is anti-people and the BJP strongly opposes the measure," she said.