BRS and Congress take battle to the streets over free bus scheme

The ongoing campaign for the Jubilee Hills Assembly bypoll took a new turn on Sunday with the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and the Congress taking their political battle to the streets, literally.

While BRS leaders chose to campaign in autorickshaws, Congress leaders boarded RTC buses to highlight contrasting narratives on promises made and fulfilled.

BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao and senior leader T. Harish Rao travelled in autos as part of the party’s campaign, alleging that the Congress government had ‘betrayed’ auto drivers.

They said Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy had promised financial assistance of ₹12,000 per annum for auto drivers but failed to deliver on it. “Instead of supporting the auto community, the Congress government has snatched their livelihood by offering free bus rides to women,” Mr. Rama Rao and Mr. Harish Rao charged during their interactions.

According to the BRS leaders, auto drivers have been among the worst hit since the launch of the Mahalakshmi scheme, which allows women to travel free in RTC buses. “Women passengers who earlier depended on autos are now using buses, causing huge losses to auto drivers,” Mr. Harish Rao said, appealing to voters to ‘teach the Congress a lesson for breaking its promises’.

In a counter campaign, the Congress women’s wing, led by its State president Sunita Rao, took to RTC buses to showcase what they called a ‘promise kept’. The leaders interacted with women passengers, who shared their experiences on how the free bus travel scheme had changed their lives.

Women passengers overwhelmingly lauded the Mahalakshmi scheme, saying it had helped them save between ₹2,000 and ₹3,000 per month. “This scheme has empowered women economically and given us independence,” said the women passengers.

While the BRS highlighted the plight of the auto drivers who complained about loss of income, the Congress portrayed the initiative as a symbol of social empowerment and economic relief for women.