Bus fare hike: Karnataka BJP gives roses to male passengers in protest

Bengaluru, Jan 3 (IANS) The Karnataka BJP staged a unique protest on Friday at the Kempe Gowda Bus Station in Bengaluru's Majestic locality by distributing roses to male passengers following a 15 per cent bus fare hike by the Congress government.

The protest was led by the Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, R. Ashoka and LoP in the Legislative Council, Chalavadi Narayanaswamy.

Some activists wore masks of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar and raised slogans against them and the Congress government.

The leaders told the passengers after giving them roses that the ticket price hike was a "gift" from the ruling Congress party.

High drama ensued when the police attempted to stop the BJP leaders from distributing the roses. Ashoka lost his cool and warned the police officers, saying he had noted their names and that the Congress government wouldn't last long.

“You want to assault me, take the baton and beat me. You can also jail me. Beware before committing police atrocities on me. Don’t dare touch me. We have not come here to protest. We are here to distribute roses to passengers,” Ashoka told the policemen.

Later, speaking to the media, Ashoka remarked, “Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is determined to destroy the lives of the people and has given a wonderful New Year gift to the state. He has done the best thing for the people. Against this backdrop, we are distributing roses to male passengers.”

“The Congress government came to power by assuring that it would give five guarantees without hiking prices. Today, everything from diesel and petrol to other essentials has seen price hikes,” Ashoka slammed.

Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, speaking at the event, criticised the government, saying, “The government is offering free travel for women but burdening men with higher costs.”

He further condemned the government for imposing high charges on essential services.

“We have seen increases in the price of milk, electricity rates, stamp duty, registration fees, and various other taxes,” he said.

He accused the government of neglecting development while focusing on trivial matters.

Narayanaswamy claimed the Congress government’s treasury was empty and that the administration was engaged in activities that harmed the public, making it difficult for people to survive.

“The government has implemented three new taxes in three days,” he remarked critically.

Former CM and BJP MP Jagadish Shettar, speaking in Hubballi, said the Congress-led government was accountable for the bus fare hike.

He said that due to the government’s mismanagement, all four RTCs were suffering losses, and the government had not cleared pending dues after implementing the scheme for free travel for women.

“No matter how much the ticket price is raised, the RTCs will continue to suffer losses,” Shettar underlined.

Responding to the bus fare hike, Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy said that the people were not surprised by the fare raise.

"In two or three days, they will get used to the new fares. Diesel and petrol prices have been hiked by Rs 2 to Rs 3, stamp duty and guidance value have been increased, alcohol prices have gone up, and the government is already talking about hiking water bills and milk prices,” Kumaraswamy said.

Reacting to the BJP protest, state Minister for Transport Ramalinga Reddy questioned why the bus fare was raised during the tenure of the previous BJP government. “The BJP leaders forgot about development during their rule. They took a loan of Rs 5,900 crore, and we are repaying it. Why didn’t they protest when the LPG gas cylinder subsidy was withdrawn?” he asked.

The Karnataka government has increased the Road Transport Corporation (RTC) bus fare by 15 per cent and the new fare will come into effect from January 5.

The bus fares of all four transport corporations have been revised. All transport corporations, including city buses and luxury buses, have been subjected to a 15 per cent fare increase. This is expected to generate an additional monthly revenue of Rs 74.85 crore.

For the 'Shakti' free travel for women scheme, Rs 5,015 crore has been allocated in the current financial year by the state government, with a monthly grant of Rs 417.92 crore being released to the four corporations.