YSRCP dharna on Sept 26 against hike in RTC charges

Hyderabad, Sept 24: YSR Congress Party will hold dharnas across the State on September 26 against the hike in RTC bus charges, surcharge on power bills and other anti-people policies of the Government.

“We will hold dharnas at all district headquarters and Collector offices demanding the roll-back of hiked bus charges of the state-owned RTC,” YSRCP spokesperson Janak Prasad told reporters here on Monday. By increasing the bus charges, the State will nett Rs 400 crores initially. A second dose of hike is in the offing which will complete the target of Rs 750 crores the Government has originally planned for, he said adding that YSRCP will oppose all such anti-people policies and fight for their cause.

“The State has many options with it and has to crack the whip on private operators and increase its profits instead of increasing the bus charges. Weekend variable charges are also not in best interests of the public and it is switching to commercial lines.  The common man need not bear the brunt for the faulty policies of the Government and we will be questioning this during our dharnas,” he said.

Burdening the common man with an additional Rs 600 crores in the name of FSL (fuel surcharge installment) is the other unwarranted decision taken by the State Government, which has failed on many fronts and could not get adequate succor from the Centre to fight the power shortage. “Instead, it has chosen the easiest path of passing on the burden to the consumer affecting all sections of the society. We will fight this anomaly tooth and nail and our leaders and cadre will hold dharnas at all district headquarters and Collector offices," Janak Prasad said.

“The padayatra of N Chandrababu Naidu will lose its way as his past will haunt him. He has undermined farmers, free power and behaved like a World Bank agent. During his tenure, contrary to his claim the gas prices have gone up two-fold, and there was no free power nor was there any subsidy on fertilizers. It was YSR who has put the clock of development back to work,” he said.

When the Centre has increased the price of LPG cylinder by Rs 55, YSR had subsidised the hike and had seen to it that the consumer gets it for the original price of Rs 305. His claims of being a kingmaker at the Centre did not reflect in any developmental activity in the State and the PPAs (Power Purchase Agreements) he has signed form the basis of the dire power crisis the State is facing, he said.    

"Kiran Kumar Reddy and Congress, following the footsteps of Chandrababu Naidu will meet the same fate in the general elections and will be rejected outright. Our Party will get a thumping mandate and YS Jagan Mohan Reddy will be the next Chief Minister,” he said. 

- INN