TRS MPs to counter Opposition claims on RTC stir

TRS MPs are expected to take the battle to the opposition camp on the TSRTC strike logjam during the winter session of Parliament beginning Monday, with both the BJP and the Congress planning to raise the issue in the House.

The TRS leadership made it clear to the MPs that their counter to the opposition charges, when the issue is raised in the House, should be effective and encompass all factors, including financial health of the corporation that has hit an abysmal low, the meaningless demands of the RTC JAC, the State government’s efforts to revive the ailing TSRTC through massive funding in the past five years, and also the practices followed in the BJP- and Congress-ruled States on running RTCs.

TRS working president KT Rama Rao, at the TRS Parliamentary Party meeting on Friday, directed the party MPs to arm themselves with all the inputs and data, including the state of affairs of RTCs in other States. The MPs were asked to strongly put across the views of the State government and Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao on the strike.

Chandrashekhar Rao had, during a press conference, pointed out that several States such as Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Manipur did not even have State-run corporations, while its presence was minimal in Bihar, Odisha and West Bengal, among others.

The TSRTC issue is likely to come up when



BJP MP from Karimnagar Bandi Sanjay’s notice to move a privilege motion against the district police for allegedly manhandling him during a funeral procession of an RTC driver on November 1 is taken up.

The TRS MPs will also raise in both the Houses the failure of the Centre in implementing pending assurances under the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014.

Besides the transfer of Defence lands for roads in Hyderabad, they will also press for NIMZ status for Pharma City. The 30 issues discussed during the TRSPP meeting include setting up of a tribal university, National Institute of Design, long-pending Bayyaram Steel Plant, rightful dues to the State under devolution of funds from the IGST, among others.

Also on the agenda of the TRS MPs will be release of the fifth instalment of assistance of Rs 450 crore to backward districts as per the provisions of the AP Reorganisation Act, besides financial assistance of Rs 5,000 crore for the TRS government’s flagship programme Mission Kakatiya and Rs 19,205 crore for Mission Bhagiratha as recommended by NITI Aayog. They would also seek the Centre’s nod for enhancement of reservations for BCs (37 per cent), SCs (25 per cent) and STs (10 per cent) and also sub-categorisation of SCs in the State since the State Assembly had passed resolutions to this effect.