In a political turn of events, Telangana BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao (KTR) was left in an embarrassing position after RTC employees chose to postpone their scheduled strike, hours after he strongly stood in their support.
Addressing a press conference, KTR had supported the strike as being justified, even criticizing the Congress government for not keeping its commitments to RTC employees. He accused Chief Minister Revanth Reddy of having an ulterior motive, questioning if the government was going to depict workers as goons for simply resisting their rights.
But minutes after KTR’s incendiary comments, RTC Joint Action Committee (JAC) leaders met Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar. The minister, according to sources, gave them an assurance that the government was serious about hearing their demands and would resolve the issues in the near future. Believing the minister, the RTC unions declared they would defer the strike, which was set to begin Wednesday.
The abrupt announcement ignited political debate, with a number of people stating that KTR, having stood with the striking workers, was left let down when the strike was withdrawn.
With the Congress-led administration marking almost 18 months in power, heat is on to fulfill its poll promises. While some union leaders had insisted on instant protest, some believed the government needed time to act. In the end, bargaining won over protest, temporarily defusing KTR’s attempt to trap the ruling party on the RTC front.