Hyderabad: The opposition BRS on Friday was forced to agree in the Assembly that the decision of the Congress government to provide free travel for women in TSRTC buses was a good idea and that it welcomed the move. Pushed into a corner on the issue during the discussion on the motion of thanks to the Governor’s address, BRS MLAs Palla Rajeshwar Reddy and Sunitha Laxma Reddy admitted that the Congress government decision was something they agreed with.
It was Rajeshwar Reddy speaking on the motion of thanks to the Governor’s address who raked up the issue, pointing out that the free bus travel for women had put the livelihood of tens of thousands of autorickshaw drivers in jeopardy and demanded that the government must give each of them Rs 10,000 per month as compensation for lost income.
He also demanded Rs 20 lakh compensation for the families of 21 drivers, who, he alleged, died by suicide due to financial distress.
Transport minister Ponnam Prabhakar objected to this and charged the BRS with instigating drivers to take their lives through its speeches. He asked if the BRS was opposed to or supported free bus travel for women. The same challenge was thrown at the BRS by Minister Dansari Anasuya ‘Seethakka’.
In response, Rajeswhar Reddy and Sunitha Laxma Reddy, who too spoke on the issue, finally agreed with the Congress government on free bus travel for women.
