Minister C P John’s Remarks on Free Bus Travel for Women Spark Controversy
C.P. John defends comments on women commuters as Opposition accuses him of insulting women
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Transport Minister C.P. John has stirred controversy with remarks about women availing the government’s Priyadarshini free bus travel scheme.
Speaking at the Kerala Bus Transport Association’s state conference in Palakkad, the minister said women “push their way into buses without paying” while at the same time “enrolling their children in private schools with fees.”
He added that even if private schools offered free education, parents would still avoid them, preferring to pay fees. “When buses arrive, people rush into cheaper transport. When illness strikes, they avoid private hospitals and instead lie in the verandas of government hospitals. The behavior of Kerala’s people is astonishing,” John remarked.
Responding to criticism, the minister stood firm, saying his comments were about women’s poverty. “There are women who cannot afford even basic travel. That is what I was highlighting. I did not say people are pretending to be poor,” he clarified.
John added that he was not troubled by the controversy and insisted that critics should have asked him for an explanation before misinterpreting his words.
The Priyadarshini scheme, which offers free travel to women in Kerala State Transport Corporation (KSRTC), was one of the major poll promises that brought the Congress-led UDF to power in Kerala after a decade.
A progress report presented by the transport minister last month described the scheme as a big hit among women commuters. The scheme led to a sharp rise in the number of women using KSRTC services. The daily average of women passengers has increased from 5.5 lakh to 12.7 lakh, meaning women now account for 66 per cent of KSRTC’s total ridership.
The Priyadarshini scheme is estimated to cost KSRTC around Rs 60 crore every month, leading to an annual revenue loss of Rs 710-720 crore. The government has directed KSRTC to explore additional revenue sources, including advertising.
Former Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal said the minister’s remarks were equivalent to “summoning people only to insult them,” adding that such behavior reflected an arrogant attitude. “The government is being run with contempt, and ministers are merely imitating the Chief Minister,” Balagopal charged.
CPI(M) leader and former minister P. Rajeev also lashed out, saying: “It is like waking up a sleeping person only to spit on their face. The minister has insulted women. This is part of a deliberate plan to end the Priyadarshini scheme.” Rajeev added that Kerala had never before witnessed such an attack on women as a community.
Meanwhile, former transport minister K.B. Ganesh Kumar strongly criticized John’s remarks, accusing the UDF government of insulting women. In a Facebook post, Ganesh Kumar wrote: “Before elections, promises were made that women could travel anywhere, anytime, in any bus. Now, after coming to power, they are restricted to a few buses. And when women use the free service, they are accused of rushing in because it is free. This is an insult.”
The controversy continues, with Minister John reiterating that he intended to highlight the struggles of economically disadvantaged women, not to demean them.
