KTR made the following comments responding to State Women and Child Welfare Minister Anasuya's remarks on the free bus scheme.
Published Aug 16, 2024 | 11:16 AM ⚊ Updated Aug 16, 2024 | 11:16 AM
BRS working president KTR. (X)
BRS Sircilla MLA and former Minister KT Rama Rao, on Friday, 16 August apologised for his remarks on free travel for women in RTC buses.
Taking to X, he wrote: “The comments I made in the party meeting yesterday were unintentional, I apologise if the comments hurt the women. I never intended to humiliate women.”
నిన్న పార్టీ సమావేశంలో యథాలాపంగా చేసిన వ్యాఖ్యల వల్ల మా మహిళా సోదరీమణులకు మనస్తాపం కలిగితే, నేను విచారం వ్యక్తం చేస్తున్నాను ..
నా అక్కచెల్లమ్మలను కించపరిచే ఉద్దేశం ఎప్పుడూ లేదు.
— KTR (@KTRBRS) August 16, 2024
KTR made the following comments responding to State Women and Child Welfare Minister Anasuya’s remarks on the free bus scheme.
Free travel for the women of Telangana in the state-run RTC buses is one of the Congress’ poll promises.
Addressing a gathering at the BRS office in Hyderabad on Thursday, 15 August, Rao said his party would have no objection if women took up activities like knitting while travelling in the buses.
Why should the BRS object if women or entire families do work like knitting or “break-dance” in buses, but his party wants scuffles breaking out in buses to be avoided, he said.
Rao asked whether a situation of jostling for space or scuffles breaking out among passengers in buses ever occurred during the previous BRS regime.
The government should provide an adequate number of buses for the convenience of passengers, he said, responding to certain remarks made by State Women and Child Welfare Minister Anasuya.
Minister Anasuya, commonly known as Seethakka was responding to the videos circulating on social media, which showed women finishing their household chores while travelling in state-run RTC buses.
Seethakka reacted to the criticism against the free bus scheme earlier, saying, “Why can’t women finish their work while travelling? If they are cutting vegetables, or peeling garlic, to save time while travelling, what is wrong with that?”
“Few others pointed out women knitting and stitching sitting in the buses, for a lot of them, stitching is a source of income, and they were doing just that instead of sitting idle in the long travels, how is that wrong?”
Taking exception to Rao’s comments, the minister said BRS and Rao should apologise to the women of Telangana.
BRS was earlier spreading false information on the free bus travel scheme and now Rao says “Women and families can do break-dance”, she said.
“Is this your manners?” she asked.
Meanwhile, Telangana State Women’s Commission chairperson Nerella Sharada said the commission took suo motu cognisance of a “media post made by Rama Rao”.
“The said post has been widely circulated and has come to the attention of the Commission due to its derogatory nature, particularly concerning women and the larger community of women in Telangana,” Sharada said on ‘X’.
“The Commission has observed that the comments made in the post are not only inappropriate but have also caused distress among women across the state,” she said.
“In light of the above, the Commission has initiated a suo moto inquiry into the matter under the powers vested in it by the Telangana State Women’s Commission Act,” she said.
The Telangana Women’s Commission has taken suo moto cognizance of a media post made by, Sri K. Taraka Rama Rao, Hon’ble Legislator, Sirisilla Constituency.
The said post has been widely circulated and has come to the attention of the Commission due to its derogatory nature,…
— Sharada Nerella (@sharadanerella) August 15, 2024
(Edited by Sumavarsha Kandula)
