BRS demands Telangana government help auto-rickshaw drivers

Hyderabad: The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) on Friday demanded the Congress government in Telangana come to the rescue of auto-rickshaw drivers who were hit hard by the scheme for free travel of women in TSRTC buses.

Claiming that 15 auto rickshaw drivers have so far died by suicide, BRS Working President K. T. Rama Rao on Friday urged the government to initiate immediate steps to check the suicides.

In an open letter to Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, KTR, as the leader is known popularly, demanded that the government pay Rs 10 lakh ex-gratia each for families of auto-rickshaw drivers who died by suicide.

He also demanded Rs 10,000 financial assistance every month for each of the auto rickshaw drivers who lost their livelihood.

The BRS leader slammed the government for not responding to the incident in which an auto rickshaw driver set ablaze his vehicle in front of Praja Bhavan on Thursday.

KTR said that uncertainty is looming large over 6.5 lakh auto rickshaw drivers in the state. He claimed that ever since the government introduced the scheme for free travel for women on Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) buses, the auto drivers were literally on the roads.

He said Congress had promised people’s governance and after coming to power by making misleading promises, it had turned anti-people.

The BRS leader alleged that the government without applying mind and without proper planning is implementing a guarantee in haste affecting another section of people. He termed this as the government’s failure.

Addressing a meeting of BRS workers in Medchal constituency, KTR said the BRS would make the Congress to fulfil all 420 assurances given to the people during the Assembly elections. He recalled that Revanth Reddy had promised to waive off agricultural loans of up to Rs 2 lakh on December 9 but even after two months, no step was taken in this regard.

KTR said the Congress had promised to implement six guarantees in 100 days, but its leaders are now saying that the guarantees will be implemented after Congress comes to power at the Centre and remarked that this will not happen. The BRS leader said only the victory of BRS in coming Lok Sabha elections will safeguard the rights of Telangana.