Despite Talks, Strike To Continue: RTC Employees' JAC

The TSRTC Employees' JAC Convenor Ashwatthama Reddy said this evening that the strike by the employees would continue and that there would be no change in their stand.

He was addressing a meeting of Sakala Janula Samarabheri at Sundaraiah Vignana Kendram, attended by the leaders of all parties - the TDP's L Ramana, the Congress' V Hanumantha Rao and Ponnala Lakshmaiah, and others.

Speaking to the media after the High Court direction to the TSRTC management to start talks with the unions immediately, Reddy said that even if talks were on the strike would continue, and that the bandh scheduled for October 19 would be observed, too.

He also claimed that the Telangana bandh called for on October 19 would be successful as the employees' unions, the electricity staff, advocates and others were supporting it.

He appealed to the common people, businessmen, traders, petrol bunks, vegetable sellers and all other sections to support the bandh and the RTC strike.

Reddy said that the strike was to protect the RTC and the job security of its employees, and slammed Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao for ignoring the High Court direction to hold talks with them.

He accused KCR of also not heeding to the advice of Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan to hold talks.

"Though we are ready for talks, the KCR government is adopting a dictatorial attitude on the strike. The government is complicating the issue by not coming for talks," he lamented.

"The people will revolt against the government if they are forced to put up with the continuous inconvenience," he warned.

Meanwhile, BJP Telangana President Dr K Laxman said that the party was extending its full support to the bandh tomorrow. He called upon the BJP state, district, mandal and village level workers to participate in the bandh.