RTC Tickets Row, A Trick From TDP Playbook

Amaravati: The Telugu Desam Party has a history of blaming others for its wrongs, YSRCP leaders have pointed out. The latest instance is the controversy kicked by the TDP over APSRTC bus tickets. The TDP objected to advertisements on the reverse of bus tickets clearly ignoring the fact that the ticket rolls were printed during the TDP era. In fact, special orders were issued to this effect during the TDP rule. Using the tickets printed in its time, the TDP is now indulging in vicious propaganda that propagation of other faiths is taking place at Tirumala and Tirupati. However, the TDP and yellow media's lies have been effectively nailed after it was proved that these tickets were printed during the TDP rule.

The entire conspiracy to tarnish the reputation of the YSRCP government emerged after it came to light that the tickets in question were printed during the TDP era. The letter addressed by the Controller of Stores, APSRTC to Perfect Coated Papers India Pvt Ltd in Coimbatore on March 25 earlier this year, seeking TIM rolls for Nellore and Kadapa depots, is revealing. It states that "Marven Creative Services is awarded contract for display of advertisements on the back of TIM roll tickets of APSRTC. The firm now requested APSRTC to print the advertisement of Minorities Welfare Department, Govt of Andhra Pradesh on 60,000 rolls." This letter proves categorically that the order to carry advertisements relating to other faiths was taken by the TDP government and issued in its tenure.

The TDP government not only publicised its own schemes on the back of RTC bus tickets, but printed advertisements on Haj and Jerusalem pilgrimages. The publicity part of the advertisements to be printed on the reverse of the tickets was issued to Marven Creatives, an ad agency from 2016 through 2019. Questions are being raised on why the TDP chose to restrict the printing of these advertisements to Kadapa and Nellore depots. Tirumala and Tirupati depots fall under Nellore. This further shows that the order from the Nellore zone for advertisements on the reverse of RTC tickets publicising Haj and Jerusalem pilgrimages would be supplied to Tirumala and Tirupati.

Once the election code came into force, the Chandrababu government held back the TIM rolls with advertisements. The current chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy assumed office on May 30, 2019. Interestingly, RTC officials used TIM rolls which had been printed earlier, but had not been supplied, on June 18 this year, to Nellore and Kadapa zones. There has been widespread criticism that some officials brought the government into disrepute by behaving in an irresponsible and indifferent manner over the last two days when the opposition was indulging in a lot of mud-slinging. The checks and balances system which should have been in place within the RTC seemed to have failed.

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