Opposition parties to hold public meetings seeking rollback of bus fare hike
Chennai: Opposition parties led by the DMK on Tuesday resolved to exert more pressure on the Tamil Nadu Government to withdraw the recent hike in bus fares
by conducting public meetings across the state on February 13 demanding immediate rollback.
Meeting here for the second time in as many weeks on the bus fare increase issue, the parties — DMK, Congress, MDMK, VCK and the Left — also adopted resolutions demanding immediate release of those arrested for protesting the fare hike, dropping of cases against them and immediately hold talks with union leaders as per directions of the Madras high court.
In the last meeting held on January 28, the leaders had decided to hold
agitation the next day that caused severe inconvenience to the people
due to massive traffic jam.
After the meeting on Tuesday, DMK Working President, who convened the meeting, said only bus fare hike was discussed with the leaders and more such discussions would happen in the future.
TNCC president Su Thirunavukarasar, MDMK founder Vaiko, VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan and state secretaries of CPI (M) and CPI G. Ramakrishnan and
R. Mutharasan, represented their parties.
A resolution adopted at the meeting decided to hold state-wide protest meetings on February 13, urging the AIADMK government to rollback the revision effected last month.
Another resolution demanded that cases filed against students and others who had held protests against the bus fare revision be withdrawn.
“The list of participants in different districts where the protest meetings are proposed will be released soon,” the Opposition Leader said, demanding that the Government immediately rollback the fare hike.
When asked if the parties that met today will form an alliance during polls, Stalin said, “You will get the reply when elections happen” in the state but did not elabo-
rate.
Vaiko, who attended the meeting, came to Anna Arivalayam — the DMK headquarters — for the first time since 2006. The MDMK leader, who quit the DMK in the early 1990s, has had a love-hate relationship with his parent party.
