Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Telangana unit on Sunday alleged state Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao for lying on Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019 with regards to the ongoing Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) strike.
"Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao has lost complete credibility by constantly indulging in the mpulation of facts for petty political expediency and selfish personal gains. Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019 has neither reference to transport corporations nor it recommends privatisation of RTC. The Chief Minister has blatantly lied to divert attention and shift blame," K Krishna Saagar Rao, chief spokesperson, Telangana BJP said in a statement.
"RTC Act of 1950 supercedes all acts in reference to administering RTC across India. It has clearly in its provisions, given full responsibility to the state government to appoint a management team to administer the corporation. RTC can't be run by state government directly. Under the provisions of RTC Act of 1950, no state government can liquidate the RTC without the approval of Central Government. Neither can any state government privitize the RTC unilaterally without the assent of RTC board and employees resolution for the same," the BJP leader added.
The Chief Minister had earlier set November 5 as the deadline for protesting TSRTC employees to join back their duties and said that there will be "no merger" of the transport corporation with the state government "on any condition".
He also claimed that "Central Government has brought the Motor Vehicle Act which permits privatisation, it is the law of land."
"That is the reason we have taken this decision," he added.
The BJP said that the Chief Minister is "visibly shaken by High Court's active intervention and a possible adverse order against the state government on the November 7, when the court examines the case as scheduled."
"It's no secret that he (Rao) wishes to threaten and blackmail employees of RTC to abandon their fight and rejoin with zero assurances, before November 7," the BJP leader said.
"BJP strongly believes that people of Telangana have proved their resolve during the separate state-hood struggle and they won't get cowed down by the shallow threats of K Chandrashekar Rao. He has chosen a path of no return and will pay a heavy price in this gamble he is indulging in," Saagar Rao said.
Employees of the TSRTC have been on strike for the past few weeks now. Earlier this week, they intensified their indefinite protest against the sacking of over 40,000 employees by the state government.
During the ongoing protest, few TSRTC employees have lost their lives either by committing suicide or depressed by the demonstration.
The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of TSRTC has been on a strike since October 5 demanding merger of the corporation with the state government and revision of pays among other demands.
( With inputs from ANI )