BRS takes “Chalo Bus Bhavan” route to protest RTC fare hike

The Bharat Rashtra Samithi staged a “Chalo Bus Bhavan” protest against the Telangana RTC fare hike, with leaders boarding buses and facing police detention. K T Rama Rao criticised the government for curbing protests and vowed to continue the agitation

Hyderabad: In a dramatic escalation of political tensions, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) on Thursday took its protest against the Telangana Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) fare hike to the streets. Amid police restrictions, party leaders boarded RTC buses as part of the “Chalo Bus Bhavan” protest, demanding a rollback of the fare hike and terming it “anti-poor, unjust and part of a conspiracy to privatise the corporation.”

Police forces were deployed in large numbers at the residences of BRS working president KT Rama Rao, senior leaders T Harish Rao, Talasani Srinivas Yadav, P Sabitha Indra Reddy and other elected representatives and senior leaders since early morning. They were briefly placed under house arrest before being allowed to board the buses.

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Later, BRS leaders boarded public buses as part of the protest. Rama Rao, Srinivas Yadav and Padma Rao took the 2J bus service from Rathifile bus stand, while Harish Rao boarded an 113 I/M service from Mehdipatnam. En route, the leaders interacted with commuters, collecting feedback on the fare hike and criticising what they termed an unnecessary financial burden on common citizens.

However, police disrupted the movement of other BRS leaders midway, detaining several of them and dropping them at distant locations to delay their arrival at Bus Bhavan. Sabitha Indra Reddy and MLA D Sudheer Reddy, who were travelling from Amberpet, were taken to Lalaguda police station and released later. Several other detained BRS leaders were kept at different police stations till afternoon.

Speaking to mediapersons onboard the RTC bus, Rama Rao lashed out at the Congress government and the police.

“All I wanted to do was board an RTC bus peacefully and submit a letter demanding a rollback of the fare hike. Look at the number of police officers deployed outside my home, all to stop one person from boarding a bus?” he wrote. Taking a swipe at the administration, he added, “Wish the police showed the same enthusiasm in controlling Hyderabad’s rising crime rate.”

Rama Rao called the action undemocratic and an indication of the government’s insecurity. “Such police suppression is not new to us,” he said, vowing that the BRS would continue its agitation until the fares were reduced. He also condemned the house arrests, stating that the party had intended a peaceful protest.

Meanwhile, police erected barricades about 500 metres away on roads leading to Bus Bhavan, with three levels of security. Scores of BRS leaders and cadre who arrived at RTC Crossroads and other junctions leading to Bus Bhavan were arrested immediately. Some mediapersons were also injured, allegedly due to police excesses, leading to heated arguments between the police, the media and the BRS cadre.

However, Rama Rao, Harish Rao and several other leaders managed to reach Bus Bhavan. They met TGSRTC Managing Director N Nagireddy and submitted a memorandum demanding an immediate rollback of the fare hike and seeking clarification on pending government dues, including Rs 1,353 crore under the Mahalakshmi scheme.

BRS leaders stated that the government was pushing the RTC towards privatisation by selling workshops, mortgaging bus stands for Rs 1,500 crore and outsourcing profitable divisions such as RTC Cargo.

Rama Rao warned that if the fare hike was not reversed, the BRS would intensify its State-wide campaign against Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s anti-people governance. He said the Congress government was being run like a circus, as the police initially placed them under house arrest and then informed them they could go, only to be stopped at Bus Bhavan again.

RTC ‘x’ road turns into ‘mini curfew’ zone

The usually bustling junction resembled a mini curfew zone, with movement restricted and traffic diverted from multiple routes. Popular eateries and landmarks including Bawarchi Hotel, New Astoria, SBI bank and Sandhya Theatre remained shut until late afternoon, as a precautionary measure. The security clamp down caused major inconvenience to motorists commuting between Secunderabad, Musheerabad, Chikkadpally, RTC ‘X’ Roads, and Vidyanagar, leading to long traffic snarls and delays.

Police deployment was intensified to prevent untoward incidents as BRS leaders and supporters attempted to march toward the TGSRTC headquarters.