Tension in temple town as RTC workers stop Minister's convoy in Bhadrachalam

Bhadrachalam: Tension prevailed in the temple town on Wednesday when the CPM party leaders and the RTC employees obstructed Tribal Minister Satyavathi Rathod's convoy and stopped her from visiting the Bhadrachalam temple and also take part in the review meeting of Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) with the officials concerned.

The agitating leaders and employees stopped the Minister's convoy and even laid down on the road obstructing the movement of vehicles. However, the police reached the spot and evicted the agitators from the road paving way for the Minister's convoy. The police later took them into custody. Amid full security, the Tribal Minister visited the temple and performed special pujas.

Later, she attended a review meeting at the ITDA office that was presided over by District Collector Rajat Kumar Saini. All the ITDA officials, unit officers, Mahabubabad MP M Kavitha and Zilla Parishad Chairman Koram Kanakaiah attended the meeting.

Podem boycotts the ITDA meeting Before the beginning of the meeting, Bhadrachalam MLA Podem Veeraiah demanded the Tribal Minister to respond on the ongoing RTC strike.

Dismissing his plea, the Minister said the meeting was being held to discuss only tribal issues and it was not correct to raise the RTC issue during the ITDA meeting. She made it clear that Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao had already given clarity on RTC strike and the opinion of others was not needed in this regard.

However, Podem slammed the Minister and the State government for adopting delaying tactics and added that many employees were getting to depression and resorting to suicides with the impasse continuing in the issue. The MLA later boycotted the meeting and joined the RTC JAC leader and workers at Bridge Centre in Bhadrachalam.

Speaking at the programme, the MLA fired salvos on the Chief Minster alleging that the Chief Minister was eyeing the prized properties of the TSRTC and making plans to privatise the Corporation to lay his hands on the RTC properties. Adding that Chief Minister was behaving like Hitler, Podem once again reiterated Congress support to the agitating workers.

Stating that people of all sections were suffering under the rule of TRS government, Podem said the government has not released the benefits of Rythu Bandhu and Rythu Bima schemes yet. Adding that people will teach a befitting lesson to the TRS in the upcoming municipal elections, the Bhadrachalam MLA said that Congress will come to power in 2023 elections.