Hyderabad: On October 27, BRS MLA T Harish Rao urged the Telangana government to give Rs 24,000 to auto drivers in the state. He criticized the Congress for not keeping their promise of providing Rs 12,000 annually to these drivers, a pledge made during the 2023 Telangana Assembly election.
Rao took an auto rickshaw to meet drivers in Erragadda, Hyderabad. Videos on social media show him traveling with BRS supporters. He claimed, “Since Congress took power, auto drivers’ conditions worsened. 161 drivers have committed suicide since then.”
Rao requested the government to offer Rs 10 lakh compensation to the families of deceased drivers. He advised the drivers against taking drastic actions.
He accused Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, of making false promises to gain votes. According to Rao, Revanth Reddy failed to fulfill any promises in two years. If the government pays the overdue amount for two years, it would cost Rs 1500 crore.
Rao criticized the government’s liquor shop license fee set at Rs 3 lakh, explaining that it would generate Rs 3,000 crores in revenue. He argued that providing Rs 1500 crore to auto drivers is necessary.
BRS working president KT Rama Rao was also seen riding an auto rickshaw from Jubilee Hills Checkpost to Telangana Bhavan.
