Telangana State Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar has firmly denied rumors claiming that an RTC driver named Ashok was dismissed from his job in Jagtial for questioning local Congress leaders. Clarifying the incident through a video statement on his official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Tuesday evening, the minister explained that Ashok is not an official employee of the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC), but rather a driver employed by a private owner running a hired bus. Minister Prabhakar stated that the state administration has explicitly instructed the private bus owner not to remove the driver from his duties.
The controversy originated near the Jagtial RDO office, where Congress party leaders were staging a protest against rising petrol and diesel prices. During the demonstration, Ashok reportedly suggested to a local resident that political leaders should prioritize addressing paddy and maize procurement for farmers before worrying about fuel price updates. Following the incident, social media went viral with reports and a leaked letter indicating that the Jagtial Depot Manager had asked the bus owner to dismiss Ashok from duty based on a formal complaint filed by Dharmapuri Congress President C. Laxman. This triggered sharp criticism from opposition leaders, with BRS leaders K. Kavitha and T. Harish Rao demanding Ashok’s immediate reinstatement and condemning the Congress government’s handling of democratic dissent.
De-escalating the political tension, Minister Ponnam Prabhakar stated that the government actually welcomes Ashok’s remarks since he spoke up in support of the farming community. The minister confirmed that he directly spoke with the Managing Director of the RTC to ensure no punitive action was encouraged by the corporation. He assured the public that Ashok is completely free to continue his driving duties on the hired bus without any professional backlash, urging political factions to stop twisting the incident for political mileage.
