As Rahul Gandhi’s rally gears up for August 5, the Siddaramaiah-led government faces pressure from protesting transport workers demanding immediate resolution.
The Karnataka government finds itself cornered on two critical fronts ahead of August 5. On one hand, the Congress high command is eyeing a successful protest led by Rahul Gandhi. On the other, the state’s transport employees are threatening to launch a state-wide indefinite strike, putting enormous pressure on the Siddaramaiah administration.
Transport staff, pushing for long-pending demands, have issued a final warning. If their issues are not addressed, they are prepared to walk off the job, bringing public mobility to a halt across the state. The government is now in a “do or die” situation, as any misstep could either upset the protesting employees or result in political embarrassment in front of national leadership.
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Accepting the transport workers’ demands would bring serious administrative and financial challenges. But rejecting them risks massive public inconvenience and criticism from within the party during Rahul Gandhi’s crucial protest.
In preparation for a possible strike, the government has started mobilising alternative plans. These include:
- Deploying private vehicles across Karnataka under official supervision.
- Using contract-based electric buses across Bengaluru.
- Increasing metro train frequency to handle peak-time commuter loads.
- Requesting IT companies to shift to work-from-home temporarily.
- Transport department officials being asked to personally oversee and manage operations on the ground.
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If talks with the workers fail today, the government may have to roll out these contingency measures by tonight. The simultaneous pressure of managing a large-scale protest and preventing a transport crisis has placed the Siddaramaiah government in a political and administrative bind.
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