Wake up from slumber, address staff demands: BJP to CM Siddaramaiah on RTC strike

Bengaluru, Aug 5 Coming down heavily on the Congress-led government in Karnataka amid the indefinite strike by RTC staffers across the state, which has severely affected commuters, the BJP appealed to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to "wake up from his slumber" and immediately address the crisis.

Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka, speaking to the media in Bengaluru on Tuesday, said, "We have extended our support to the just demands of the RTC staffers. State President and MLA B.Y. Vijayendra has also voiced support. CM Siddaramaiah must wake up from his slumber and resolve the issue immediately by holding talks with the stakeholders."

"If he is incapable of resolving the matter, he should resign and go. Don’t they have any common sense? What has the government been doing for the past week? They are causing hardship to the public, and the people’s curse will haunt those in power. This is a pauper government -- its coffers are empty. I urge the government to fulfil the demands of the RTC workers," Ashoka said.

He said that the bus services have come to a halt. "The state government claims to have implemented a free bus travel scheme for women, but now, no one has access to buses. They earlier claimed the state economy was strong and the treasury was overflowing. What is the reality now?" he said.

Ashoka added, "Mr. CM Siddaramaiah, when I served as the Transport Minister under the BJP-led government headed by B.S. Yediyurappa, we hiked salaries by 15 per cent in one go over a decade ago. We released Rs 480 crore at once. If adjusted to present values, that would exceed Rs 1,000 crore. All demands of the RTC staffers were fulfilled at that time."

He said that salaries must be revised every four years. "During the Covid-19 pandemic, RTC employees in other states were not paid, but in Karnataka, we ensured they received salaries. The Congress is now trying to highlight that salary revision wasn’t done during Covid, which is irrelevant. The pending amount from the revised salary structure must be released," he demanded.

BJP State President and MLA B.Y. Vijayendra also criticised the government, stating that the government has not taken the matter seriously. "The meeting with the RTC staffer representatives was held by CM Siddaramaiah only because of Rahul Gandhi’s scheduled visit to Bengaluru. If they had not staged a protest, the CM wouldn’t have even spoken to them," he said.

He added, "CM Siddaramaiah merely held a meeting for formality's sake and failed to fulfil their demands. The staffers have placed only two demands. If the state cannot meet them due to a lack of funds, the CM must take responsibility and resolve the issue."

Vijayendra further stated that in rural areas, students are unable to commute to schools and colleges due to the disrupted bus service. "They are struggling with transportation because the number of buses has already been reduced due to the free travel scheme. Now, the government is unable to even pay the RTC employees their salaries."

"For months, the economic situation has been deteriorating. In this context, CM Siddaramaiah -- who also holds the Finance portfolio -- has failed to meet the demands. I acknowledge that people are facing great inconvenience due to the lack of bus services. The Chief Minister should immediately call a meeting with RTC staffers and officials to resolve the issue and put an end to the suffering of the common people," he urged.

After the employees' union of the state-owned transportation corporations decided to go on an indefinite strike, bus services across Karnataka were severely affected on Tuesday, causing major inconvenience to passengers.

RTC staff are demanding the immediate release of 38 months’ pending salaries, a salary revision effective from August 1, an end to staff harassment, a halt to privatisation, and resolution of other related issues.

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