HYDERABAD: Even as Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Saturday threatened with privatisation of at least 50 per cent of the TSRTC fleet while advising the protesting workers to return to duty before midnight of November 6, JAC leaders announced that they were not going to back down and continue to strike till the government is forced to accept their demands.
RTC JAC convenor Ashwathama Reddy stated that the chief minister was playing mind games to break the unity of the workers. “I appeal to the workers to not be afraid of losing their jobs or take steps that would harm their own interest. The CM is trying to foil the ongoing strike by issuing threats. We need to be united and maintain patience,” he said.
JAC co-convenor Thomas Reddy expressed his suspicions that the chief minister’s decision was unilateral and was not approved by the State Cabinet. “We do not believe that whatever the CM told the media is right or discussed in the cabinet,” he stated.
Earlier in the day, the JAC leaders along with leaders of various political parties held a meeting at the Employees Union Office at Gunpark. Apart from chalking a week-long agitation programme starting November 3, commencing in a massive rally in Hyderabad on November 9, the JAC leaders announced their plan to call on the Central government to intervene.
Speaking to media after the meeting, the JAC convenor had said, “We have decided to hold a massive rally in Hyderabad to show the strength of the RTC workers and send a message to Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. We will not give up until our demands are met and the people are also on our side.”
The RTC JAC and political parties would be meeting on Sunday to discuss the decision of the State Cabinet and future course of action.