K.V Seetharamaiah
We are Indians first. States have been carved out on linguistic basis for administrative convenience. Language should not be a wall between one Indian and another Indian. Karnataka government launched free bus ride for women from June 11th as per the promise made by the Congress in its manifesto for the Assembly election.
There is no reason for majority of women not to be jubilant at the free-travel facility given as quid pro quo for the votes given to the Congress party. It is no secret that the government has already embarked on the idea of raising revenue from different sources. The government has no option but to rob the Peter to pay to Paul. Debates on freebies are going in electronic and print media over the financial stress falling on the shoulders of the government. Mixed opinion on freebies are emerging in debates. The people must endure the pros and cons of freebies. What is disturbing is the discrimination among the women of Karnataka and women of other states in extending free-travel boon. Any Indian woman should have been accorded the same gesture which women from Karnataka enjoy. There will not be non-Karnataka woman occupant in every bus. There will not be as many non-Karnataka women as Karnataka women in any bus.
Former Karnataka minister Shamanur Shivashankarappa has chided his own party government for its discrimination between Karnataka women and non-Karnataka women.
The government would not have lost anything heavily in terms of revenue if the Karnataka women had been allowed to travel to the places outside Karnataka in the buses that ply from Karnataka to other states.
If Karnataka government had shown gesture to allow women from other states to travel for free and allowed all the Karnataka women to travel for free for places outside the state in the buses that ply to other states, it would have been a nice gesture for other states to emulate the example of Karnataka. It is not illogical to say that the women from other states do not have their hand in the election of the Karnataka government because they have not voted. All the women from Karnataka have also not voted for Congress in exchange for the freebies. Party-loyalty, the financial stress likely to be placed on government if freebies are given, common sense of women that the freebies given in one hand are usurped from the other by raising tax on commodities have refrained the women from voting to Congress en bloc. If all women not voted for Congress can reap the advantage of free-travel in any bus, it would not make large hole in the pocket of KSRTC bus if a few women from outside the state are given the benefit of free-travel.
Charity must begin at home. Free bus ride for all Indian women in Karnataka would have motivated other states where women are enjoying the free-travel facility to allow Karnataka women for free travel. It is all give and take. And we are Indians first.
