Telangana: BJP promises free transport to Sabarimala, if voted to power

In order woo voters in poll-bound state Telangana, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has assured to remove the surcharge on tickets of Telangana State Road Transport Corporations buses playing to pilgrimage destinations during festivals.

The BJP is also considering to provide free transport to needy devotees, who want to visit Sabarimala.

The party promised, if BJP voted to power in the state, no liquor will be sold on weekdays after 6 pm and no liquor sale over the weekends.

Listing out the drawbacks of alcohol addiction in the state, BJP manifesto committee chairman and former legislator N V S S Prabhakar said, “Alcohol addiction is wrecking many households in Telangana. It is also the main cause for marital discord, robberies, sexual assaults, suicides, and brawls.”

“There should be some restrictions in place on liquor sales. BJP will restrict the sale of liquor from 10 am to 6 pm on weekdays and impose a total ban on weekends. We will totally regulate the sale of liquor in the state if we come to power. BJP will not consider liquor sales as a major source of revenue for the government,’’ Prabhakar said.

He further said, “We will consider providing free transport to pilgrims who take vows to visit temples like Kondagattu in Jagtial district. We are also considering providing free transport to needy devotees going to Sabarimala. We will include it in our manifesto,’’ Prabhakar quoted by Indian Express as saying.

“One of our promises is to constitute a task force to protect lands belonging to religious places like temples, waqf and churches in the state. No party has done it so far but we will protect lands of religious institutions from encroachment,’’ he added.

The BJP is all set to contest on its own in all 119 Assembly seats in Telangana.

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