Telangana Govt Defends Free Bus Travel for Women Amid Modi's Criticism
Hyderabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi could not digest the fact that women were travelling free in state-owned buses, transport minister Ponnam Prabhakar said on Saturday. Some states, as per their local conditions, were offering free travel in RTC buses to improve their economic condition of women, the minister said.
He was responding to Prime Minister Modi’s stating in an interview: “"You build a metro in a city and then to win elections in the same city you promise free bus rides to women. This means you are taking away 50% of your metro passengers." The reference in the interview came soon after L&T, the Hyderabad Metro Rail operator, had stated that it was running in losses due to the Mahalakshmi scheme of the state government offering women free travel in RTC buses.
In a statement, Prabhakar said that there was no connection between RTC and Metro Rail services. The state government had made a request to Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited to increase the number of bogies on its trains. “The state will continue the free travel scheme for women in RTC buses as it is in no way affecting the Metro Rail,” he said.
Prabhakar said that the state government would give more priority to the free travel scheme by increasing the number of buses and the routes covered by the RTC. “The Prime Minister should not speak about such small issues,” he said.
Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee vice-president G. Niranjan, speaking to the media at Gandhi Bhavan on Saturday, criticised Modi for claiming that the free bus travel had reduced Metro Rail occupancy and caused financial losses to the operator.
Saying that the free travel initiative for women was extended all over the state, beyond Hyderabad, and was benefiting about 28.97 lakh women daily, Niranjan accused Modi of being anti-poor and favouring the rich. Niranjan argued that the public funds were meant for the welfare of the people and questioned how free travel for women would act against the treasury.
