Telangana bus driver won't be sacked, says Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar
Synopsis
A bus driver in Telangana was ordered off duty after he told Congress protesters to focus on farmer procurement rather than fuel prices — and the backlash was swift enough to force a ministerial reversal within 24 hours. The episode has handed the opposition a ready-made narrative about the ruling Congress government's intolerance of dissent.
Key Takeaways
Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar on 26 May advised bus management to retain driver Ashok , reversing a sacking order.
The Jagtial Depot Manager had directed bus owner Chukka Venugopal to withdraw Ashok after a Congress Mandal President complained about his remarks.
Ashok was driving from Jagtial to Dharmapuri when he urged a fellow villager at the dharna to prioritise cotton and maize procurement over fuel-price protests.
BRS leaders Gangula Kamalakar , Jeevan Reddy , and former minister T.
Harish Rao demanded immediate reinstatement and action against the depot manager.
Minister Prabhakar clarified Ashok is a private hire bus driver , not a regular TSRTC employee, but said the government still intervened in his favour.
Telangana Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar on Tuesday, 26 May said he has advised the management of a private hire bus to retain driver Ashok, reversing a move that had drawn sharp political backlash. The controversy erupted after the Jagtial Depot Manager of the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) directed the owner of a private hire bus to withdraw Ashok from service, following a complaint that he had criticised Congress leaders during a roadside protest.
What Triggered the Row
On Monday, Ashok was driving a bus from Jagtial to Dharmapuri when he passed a Congress dharna at the RDO office, Jagtial, protesting the hike in petrol and diesel prices. State minister Adluri Laxman and several Congress MLAs were among those participating.
According to Ashok, he was speaking to an acquaintance from his village who was at the protest. He told him to focus on ensuring the procurement of cotton and maize from farmers rather than raising fuel-price grievances. Ashok maintained he did not criticise any political party or leader — only advocated for farmers.
Despite this, Congress's Dharmapuri Mandal President C. Laxman filed a complaint with the Jagtial Depot Manager, alleging that the driver had disparaged Congress leaders. The depot manager subsequently wrote to bus owner Chukka Venugopal, directing him to withdraw Ashok from private hire bus (PHB) services with immediate effect.
Minister's Intervention and Clarification
Minister Prabhakar clarified that Ashok is not a regular TSRTC employee but a driver engaged through a privately hired bus arrangement. 'He is merely an RTC hired bus driver. He is not an RTC employee. Even so, we have advised the bus management not to remove him from his job. Ashok spoke on behalf of the farmers, and we welcome that,' Prabhakar said in a statement.
The minister also used the occasion to defend the state government's procurement record, asserting that despite what he described as Centre's negligence in food grain procurement, the state was taking all measures to ensure smooth procurement operations. He urged opposition parties not to politicise the episode.
Opposition Presses Hard
Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leaders Gangula Kamalakar and Jeevan Reddy met the Karimnagar RTC Regional Manager to demand Ashok's immediate reinstatement. The Regional Manager reportedly told them he had no information about the order. The BRS leaders also demanded action against the Jagtial Depot Manager for issuing the dismissal directive.
BRS leader and former minister T. Harish Rao condemned the action. K. Kavitha of the Telangana Rakshana Samithi (TRS) said the Congress, which had championed democratic values while in opposition, was now undermining those very principles in power. She argued that a driver who merely urged ministers to buy farmers' grain had been penalised for speaking up.
Opposition parties collectively called the episode an example of authoritarian governance, saying it was reprehensible that a man could lose his livelihood for asking the government to procure maize and cotton sitting in warehouses.
What Happens Next
With the Transport Minister having publicly advised the bus management against the removal, Ashok is expected to continue in his role. However, no formal written order reversing the Jagtial Depot Manager's directive had been confirmed as of Tuesday. The episode has intensified scrutiny of the Congress-led state government's handling of farmer procurement issues and its tolerance of public criticism.
Point of View
Not a disciplinary one. But the damage is done: the Jagtial Depot Manager's letter exists on record, and it shows a local Congress functionary's complaint was enough to trigger a job-loss order against a man who never named a party. For a government that positioned itself as farmer-friendly, being seen as punishing a voice for farmer procurement is a damaging contradiction. The opposition will keep this story alive precisely because it writes itself.
NationPress
31 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was Telangana bus driver Ashok ordered to be removed from his job?
Ashok was ordered off duty after Congress's Dharmapuri Mandal President C. Laxman complained to the Jagtial Depot Manager that the driver had criticised Congress leaders staging a dharna at the RDO office, Jagtial. The depot manager then wrote to the private hire bus owner directing him to withdraw Ashok with immediate effect.
What did driver Ashok actually say during the protest?
Ashok said he was speaking to an acquaintance from his village who was at the Congress protest against fuel price hikes. He told him to focus on ensuring the government procured cotton and maize from farmers instead. Ashok denied criticising any political party or leader and said his remarks were solely in support of farmers.
Is Ashok a TSRTC employee?
No. Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar clarified that Ashok is not a regular TSRTC employee but a driver engaged through a privately hired bus (PHB) arrangement. Despite this, the minister said the government advised the bus management not to remove him.
What action has the opposition demanded over the Jagtial driver episode?
BRS leaders Gangula Kamalakar and Jeevan Reddy met the Karimnagar RTC Regional Manager demanding Ashok's immediate reinstatement. They also demanded action against the Jagtial Depot Manager for issuing the dismissal directive. BRS's T. Harish Rao and TRS's K. Kavitha separately condemned the move as an attack on democratic freedoms.
What is the broader political significance of the Telangana bus driver controversy?
The episode has become a flashpoint over the Congress-led Telangana government's handling of farmer procurement grievances and its response to public criticism. Opposition parties argue it illustrates authoritarian tendencies, while the government has tried to reframe it as a procurement-policy discussion, with the minister welcoming Ashok's remarks on behalf of farmers.
