BJP’s premature KSRTC free-ride protest at Kasaragod gets ridiculed online

Kasaragod: Barely a day after the Congress named V D Satheesan as its chief ministerial pick, and even before the swearing-in or formation of the UDF government, a group of women BJP workers in Kasaragod boarded a KSRTC bus, protesting what they called the 'delay' in implementing the promised free bus travel scheme for women.

The protest, led by BJP district president M L Ashwini, triggered ridicule on social media on Friday, with many calling it a case of political haste. Free bus travel for women is one of the five flagship welfare promises made by the Congress under its Indira Guarantee campaign.

Ashwini defended launching the protest before the government had even assumed office. “Governments have already been formed in other states after the results were declared on May 4. If it takes this long even to select a chief minister, imagine how long it will take to implement promises in Kerala. We have already lost 10 years. We don’t want to lose another five,” she said.

Ashwini also claimed Satheesan had said during the campaign that the scheme would be rolled out on May 15. “Our Narendra Modi ji has asked us to save petrol. That is why I decided to travel by bus from today,” she said, explaining why the protest was launched on May 15. “They said it would start today. Then it should start today.”

Around 15 women BJP workers then boarded a Kerala State Road Transport Corporation bus bound for Mangaluru without buying tickets, but the driver refused to move the bus. The women insisted that if a government makes a promise, it should honour it. “You cannot seek votes by making promises and then failing to implement them,” said one BJP worker. “What if it takes another six months just to appoint the ministers?”

But when the driver refused to start the bus, the protesters argued that tickets are normally bought only after the bus starts moving. "You cannot stop the service anticipating that we will not pay," said a worker.

With the driver still not budging, the women got down and attempted to picket the KSRTC bus stand instead.

When police warned them that blocking the bus stand could lead to arrest, the protesters demanded to be allowed to march to the police station instead. Police allowed the march, after which the group dispersed.

Even some protesters within the group privately admitted discomfort with the timing of the protest, though they stood by the district leadership.

Online, however, the protest was widely mocked.

On Ashwini's Facebook page, users flooded the comments section with criticism. One user, Sadik Ali, wrote, "The UDF has not even taken power yet. This year's comedy award goes to them." Another user, Sidharth Panicker, wrote, "Will you also protest to get petrol for ₹50 a litre?"

V T Balram, Congress state vice-president and MLA-elect, also weighed in, saying the protest was proof of why many Malayalis view the BJP as 'political clowns'.

"The BJP seem to lack even the basic common sense to understand that a government can take policy decisions or issue orders only after it is sworn in and formally assumes office. What makes it even more ironic is that the protest poster carries the photographs of the very people who, as of this morning, increased diesel and petrol prices by ₹3.05, including the fuel used to run buses." The protest banner featured photographs of Narendra Modi, BJP national president Nitin Nabin, state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar and Ashwini.

To be sure, KSRTC has already begun gender ticketing, considered the first administrative step towards rolling out the women’s free travel scheme. Similar schemes, Shakti and Mahalakshmi, were introduced in Karnataka and Telangana after the Congress came to power there.