The KCR-led TRS government in Telangana was once known as ’employee-friendly government.’

This is because, soon after KCR assumed office as CM for the first term in June 2014, he announced several sops to government employees as a thanks-giving gesture for their active participation in Telangana statehood agitation, for strongly supporting TRS during statehood agitation which played a key role in building pressure on then UPA government at the Centre to bifurcation Andhra Pradesh and grant statehood to Telangana.

KCR announced highest fitment (salary hike), special Telangana increment and cashless and limitless medical treatment for employees.

However, all this image of KCR being employee-friendly has become a thing of past now.

After becoming CM for second term in December 2018, KCR started taking a ‘tough stand’ on state government employees.

He did not announce new Pay Revision Commission pay scales, Interim Relief for employees as promised.

He labelled revenue staff as ‘corrupt’ and threatened to abolish the revenue department.

KCR dismissed over 48,000 TSRTC staff at a single stroke after they went on strike on October 5.

KCR adopted a tough stand on RTC strike due to which the RTC staff were forced to call off their strike after 47 days without achieving any of their 26 demands.

KCR has now decided to privatise RTC to end monopoly of RTC employees.

KCR continues to trouble RTC staff by not taking them into jobs even after they announced withdrawal of strike.

Other employees unions like TGOs, TNGOs which theatened to go on strike on various demands, have now became silent after seeing the plight of RTC employees due to the tough stand taken by KCR on their demands.

Employees unions, which once used to believe KCR and TRS government as ’employee friendly’ are now shivering with the very mention of KCR’s name.

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao got a boost in the High Court on Monday over the issue of TSRTC strike, which entered 45th day today.

The High Court made it clear that it cannot issue any directions to the state government on TSRTC strike and referred the issue to the Labour Commissioner.

The HC directed labour commissioner to hold talks with RTC unions and resolve the strike within two weeks.

The High Court stated that it has certain limitations on this issue and it cannot go beyond this.

High Court’s directions were in line with KCR’s stand who has been arguing all along that High Court has power to give directions to government on RTC strike.

KCR made this statement while addressing a press conference at Telangana Bhavan on October 24, after TRS won Huzurnagar bypoll seat with a stunning majority.

KCR claimed that RTC strike is the issue between the government and the employees unions and it has to resolved only in the labour court and not in any other courts.

The High Court directions given on Monday proved that KCR was right in his arguments.

Now, the employees are left with no option but to call off their strike and rejoin duties to protect their jobs.

They already lost three month salaries due to strike and not in a position to afford to lose any salary futher.

Poor IAS officers in Telangana are paying the price for Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s ‘ego’ in dealing with the TSRTC strike, which entered 34th day today.

Chief secretary, finance secretary, transport secretary, transport commissioner, who are senior IAS officers are made to stand in HIgh Court for three hours on Thursday, while hearing the RTC case.

The High Court rapped these officers for submitting false reports on funds given by TS government to TSRTC.

In fact, IAS officers are facing the music in High Court every week since October 5, when the strike began.

Under pressure from KCR, these officers are submitting false reports.

The court is taking these officials to task. IAS officials in Telangana are feeling humiliated and insulted on account of KCR’s arrogance on RTC strike.

Instead of resolving the strike by calling RTC unions for talks, KCR is forcing IAS officials to submit false reports in court with an intention of getting favourable judgement on RTC strike.

However, the High Court is detecting lies in these reports and shunting the officials.

KCR is now trying to project IAS officers in bad light as if they are submitting false reports without his notice.

KCR’s own media today carried banner stories which suggest that IAS officers were misleading not only courts but also the CM and the transport minister, which shocked IAS officers.

Everyone knows that a day before the hearing of the case, KCR is holding a marathon meeting from morning to evening in Pragathi Bhavan with senior officials.

He is guiding them what should be there in the reports to be submitted before the High Court.

Despite knowing very well that KCR is forcing them to submit false reports, they are not objecting fearing KCR and getting rapped up in court the next day.

This is affecting the morale of IAS officers in Telangana who are angry at KCR for making IAS officers the scapegoats in the issue of RTC strike.

It’s a known fact to everyone that TRS chief and Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao will not give the appointment to anyone, who want to meet him.

Let alone common people, even his ministers and his own party MLAs struggle to get KCR’s appointment.

There are several ministers and TRS MLAs who failed to get KCR’s appointment for months and years.

But that is KCR’s style of functioning.

“No one can meet KCR by taking appointment. They can meet KCR only if KCR wants to meet them,” this is the standard thumb rule in TRS.

In these circumstances, what people in Telangana will do to ‘influence’ KCR or take their problems to the notice of KCR.

Telangana people now seem to be finding solace in Chinna Jeeyar Swamy.

Everyone knows that KCR is an ardent devotee of China Jeeyar Swamy.

He makes it a point to visit Swamy every now and then along with family members.

It’s also common to see KCR falling on the feet of Swamy by doing “Saastaanga Namaskaram” twice in his every visit to his ashram.

Seeing this, Telangana people now feel that if Swamy orders anything, KCR will obey.

TSRTC employees, who are on indefinite strike since October 5, seem to be also feeling the same.

They met Swamy today and urged him to instruct KCR to resolve RTC strike and protect their jobs.

Because KCR is adopting a ‘tough stand’ on KCR strike and dismissed 48,000 RTC staff for going on strike. He is now threatening to close RTC and privatise it.

Earlier, revenue employees also met Swamy and urged him to instruct KCR not to abolish Revenue Department, after KCR repeatedly threatened of abolition.

This seems to have worked as KCR did not abolish Revenue Department yet.

Let’s see whether RTC employees petition with Swamy will also work or whether KCR will listen to Swamy and soften his stand on RTC strike.

With employees of Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) continuing their indefinite strike on 20th day on Thursday, Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao said nobody can save the public transport utility from shutting down.

“The strike will end with RTC itself. Yes, it is going to happen,” he told a news conference to a query as to whether he sees an end to the strike.

“They are closing down the RTC. Nobody can save it. It is a gone case,” said Rao pointing out that the transport entity has gone bankrupt.

KCR, as Rao was popularly known, was talking to media after his Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) won Huzurnagar Assembly bypoll with a huge majority.

The Chief Minister, who appears to have further hardened his stand on the strike, made it clear that the RTC will not exist in its present form.

“The result of the strike is that old RTC will not be there. 1,000 per cent it will not be there,” he said.

KCR said a decision on permitting 7,000 private buses would be taken in a few days. “I can grant permits to more than 7,000 private buses to ply on the roads of Telangana, providing quality and comfortable transport to the people at lesser fares,” he said.

The Chief Minister blamed the leaders of RTC trade unions for the current situation and slammed the opposition parties for instigating them. He said trade union leaders called for strike to get votes in their union elections but they were playing with the lives of innocent employees and their families.

Over 48,000 employees of RTC are on strike since October 5 to press for their demands including the demand for the RTC’s merger with the government.

KCR termed the demand for merger as irrational and said if TSRTC was merged with the government, 57 other corporations will make similar demands.

He said RTC had no money to pay salaries to employees for September as the employees themselves cut the branch they were sitting on by going on strike. He said with economic slowdown, the government too had no money to bail out the RTC.

He claimed that the strike during festival season resulted in loss of Rs 125 crore to Rs 150 crore to RTC, which has accumulated losses of Rs 1,200 crore and outstanding loans of Rs 5,000 crore.