Auto Drivers in Telangana Vow to Support Congress in Upcoming Elections
Telangana Auto Drivers Joint Action Committee (JAC) convenor, Mohd Amanullah Khan, has accused the ruling BRS party of neglecting the problems faced by auto drivers. In a press conference held on Wednesday, Khan announced that the auto drivers would protest against the government’s negligence by observing a one-day auto bandh on April 30. The protest aims to prevent the inauguration of the new Secretariat and launch a campaign called “KCR Hatao Auto Driver Bachao.” The auto drivers plan to block Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s exit from Pragati Bhavan by jamming the roads with autos from all sides.
Khan also condemned the murder of an aged auto driver named Shaik Amjad, who was killed by an intoxicated anti-social at Osmania Dental Hospital last Saturday. In response, he demanded that the State government immediately pay Rs 5 lakh ex-gratia to the deceased driver’s family members. He also recalled a similar incident where an auto driver named Anand was murdered in Secunderabad while sleeping in the back of his auto. The State government failed to pay an ex-gratia to the deceased driver’s family members, but Khan assured that they would collect funds from auto drivers and hand over the amount to the kin of the deceased auto driver through Siasat Editor Zahed Ali Khan, as they did before.
Khan announced that from now on, they would raise the slogan “Ab ki Bar Congress Sarkar” and support only the Congress party. The auto drivers hope that Congress will address their issues and provide them with better working conditions.