KASARGOD: On a day Chief Minister-designate V D Satheesan was busy meeting leaders, members of Mahila Morcha — BJP’s women’s wing — assembled at the Kasaragod KSRTC bus station on Friday, calling out his name and asking about the fate of his promise of free bus travel for women on KSRTC buses. A similar protest was held in Kozhikode where Mahila Morcha members refused to buy tickets on a KSRTC bus.
Free bus travel for women on KSRTC buses is one of the five flagship welfare programmes announced by the Congress under its Indira Guarantee campaign. Nevertheless, the protest earned ridicule on social media with users questioning its timing.
Led by Kasaragod district BJP president M L Ashwini, members of the Mahila Morcha gathered at the bus station and raised slogans against the Congress’ failure to implement the scheme. They recalled Satheesan’s poll promise that the programme would be launched by May 15.
The protesters attempted to board a bus demanding free travel, but the crew refused to operate the service, after which the women staged a sit-in at the entrance of the bus station. When the police warned that they would be arrested for blocking the movement of buses, the women planned a march to the Town police station. Meanwhile, the cops detained Ashwini and took her to the police station.
In Kozhikode, BJP state secretary Anjana led the protest. The Mahila Morcha members boarded a KSRTC bus and travelled without taking tickets to register their protest against the delay in implementing free bus travel for women.
But the timing of the protest appeared odd, with bystanders muffling their laughter.
However, social media did not hold back. Taking to Ashwini’s Facebook page, some users asked how can a policy decision be passed even before the government’s formation.
Many reminded Ashwini about the promises made by the BJP government at the Centre in 2014 while some asked about the ‘petrol-price-at-Rs 50’ claim. One user asked if she had anything to say about the fuel price hike effected on Friday.
In the capital, Mahila Morcha workers led by state president Navya Haridas and general secretary Beena R P boarded a KSRTC bus servicing the Thiruvananthapuram-Attingal route and raised slogans against the incoming UDF government.
However, since there has been no formal announcement on the free rides, protesters were all issued tickets that were paid for by Navya.
Terming it one of the Congress’s hollow claims, BJP state secretary M P Anjana Ranjith told TNIE that the government had tripped on its first step.
“Much before it came to power, Congress had claimed that women would get free rides on KSRTC from May 15. It has not happened. Benefits should not just be reaching Indira, Sonia and Priyanka, but also common women,” she said.
When asked how such a decision could be taken even before the government was sworn in, Anjana said the public does not want to know about it.
(With inputs from T’Puram)