Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) President Y. S. Sharmila on Friday travelled in the APSRTC bus and launched a postcard campaign to remind the Naidu government in the state of its poll promise of free bus travel for women.
Sharmila and other women leaders of the party boarded a bus of Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) and purchased tickets.
She and other women accompanying her also displayed postcards addressed to Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, demanding he fulfil the poll promise.
The APCC chief announced that thousands of postcards will be sent to the Chief Minister from every Assembly constituency for the next three days.
The Congress leader said Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy implemented free bus travel for women within a week of taking office, but the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister has not honoured his promise even after four months.
“Every woman is asking what happened to your promise of free bus travel for women,” she said.
Sharmila said that of 30 lakh people who travel by APSRTC buses every day, 20 lakh are women. If the free bus travel for women scheme is implemented, the government will have to spend Rs 7 crore to Rs 10 crore per day. This comes to about Rs 300 crore every month.
The APCC chief said CM Naidu garnered the votes of women by making many poll promises. She pointed out that four out of six promises made under ‘Super Six’ relate to women.
The TDP-led alliance had promised Rs 15,000 to each mother under ‘Thalliki Vandhanam’ scheme for educating children.
It also promised Rs 1,500 for every woman in the age group of 18-59, free cooking gas cylinders and free bus travel for women.
She pointed out that the minimum fund requirement is for a free bus travel scheme. “If you don’t implement this scheme, when will you implement other major promises,” she asked the Chief Minister.
Sharmila said on Thursday that there was no mention of any of the ‘Super Six’ schemes in the recent Cabinet meeting.
She also reminded the Chief Minister of the promises of Rs 3,000 per month unemployment allowance for every jobless youth and annual financial assistance of Rs 20,000 to every farmer.
She alleged that the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) did not implement any of its promises made in the 2014 elections, and has not implemented the promises made in the recent elections.