As Strike Enters Day 29, Telangana RTC Unions to Seek Centre's Intervention; State BJP Chief Rushes to Delhi

Hyderabad: With no apparent solution in sight to their nearly month-old stir, the agitating unions of Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) on Saturday

announced a series of programmes to highlight their demands.

Ashwathama Reddy, leader of the Join Action Committee (JAC) of RTC unions, said they were planning to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah to seek the Centre's intervention into the issue between them and the government.

"We will organise 'sadak bandh' (road closure) on November 5. On November 9, we will call for Chalo Tank Bund. Meanwhile, on November 4 or 5 we are planning to go to Delhi and meet Amit Shah and other leaders seeking their intervention," Reddy said.

Telangana BJP President K Lakshman also left for Delhi on Saturday after being summoned by the national leadership.

The state BJP leadership has joined other parties in supporting the strike, which entered its 29th day on Saturday — the BJP has been targeting K Chandrasekhar Rao's government for failing to find a solution to the impasse.

Lakshman will meet Shah and explain to him the failure of the state government to end the strike by holding talks.

Before leaving for Delhi, Lakshman also met Ashwathama Reddy and TJS chief Kodandaram.

Rao on Saturday held a Cabinet meeting at Pragati Bhavan on the strike and is likely to announce key decisions on the RTC, striking employees and other related issues.

Employees and workers unions of TSRTC started the indefinite strike from October 5 across Telangana on a call given by the JAC of TSRTC, demanding merger of the corporation with the government among others.

The striking employees, workers of opposition parties and others have been organising protests in support of their demands and against the TRS government since then. They adopted various forms of protest, including 'Swachh Bharat', 'Jala Deeksha' (standing in water bodies for sometime) and symbolically seeking alms at different places.

Ruling out the merger of the corporation with the government, Rao had termed the employees' stir as "illegal" and said it caused immense inconvenience to the public. The Telangana High Court is currently hearing a bunch of petitions relating to the strike.

(With inputs from H Venkatesh in Hyderabad)