Bus Strike: Employees Seek Centre's Intervention

Even as the TSRTC employees' strike entered the 29th day on Saturday, the employee unions' JAC chief Ashwatthama Reddy said that the JAC, along with the Opposition parties, would seek the intervention of the Centre on the stir as the State government was not resolving it.

Reddy told media persons that the JAC and the Opposition leaders would meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah on November 4 or 5 to urge the Centre to intervene and end the month-long strike.

"We will however continue the strike until the government calls us for talks and ends the impasse," he asseverated.

With leaders of Left parties - the CPI's Chada Venkat Reddy and the CPM's Thammineni Veerabhadram - the Telangana TDP's Ravula Chandrasekhar Reddy, TJS chief M Kodandaram, and representatives and members of other peoples' organizations, the JAC organized a silent protest for an hour at Gun Park opposite the Assembly building complex, and then spoke to the media.

The JAC leaders accused the Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao of trying to deliberately suppress the strike, and demanded that the CM change his mind and hold talks with intent to end the strike.

Ashwatthama Reddy also said that there was no need for the employees to fear as the Centre was yet to bifurcate the APSRTC among the two Telugu States.

The TSRTC JAC and all other parties would stage protests at depots in the villages on November 3, with political parties on November 4, through a Sadak Bandh on November 5, at depots again on November 6, and through a Chalo Tank Bund on November 9, Reddy added.