Thiruvananthapuram, March 13 (BPNS)

The left student organizations, SFI and AISF, and the student body of Congress, KSU have come out strongly against the state transport minister, Antony Raju over his remarks on student concession in buses.

The minister while interacting with media persons on Sunday said that a hike for bus ticket charges is imminent and that the student concession amount will also be hiked. He made a controversial statement that even the students feel embarrassed at the minimum charge of Rs 2 that they are paying for bus charges. This statement infuriated the student bodies.

SFI, the student organization of the ruling CPI-M of which the present CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan was the state president said, “ The minister should not have made such a statement. The student concession is the rights of the students and it is not a benevolence of the government.”

The AISF, the student organization of the CPI also came out heavily against the minister and conducted a protest march in Thiruvananthapuram against the statement of the minister.

The student body of the Congress, KSU, also charged against the Minister for transport, Antony Raju and said that the concession was the right of the students. State president of KSU, K.M. Abijit while speaking to reporters here on Sunday said that the KSU will never allow the government to hike the minimum bus fare for students from Rs 2 and said that the bus concession was the right of the student community.

The ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) led by the CPI-M is meeting at the party state headquarters AKG Centre on Tuesday to finalize the hike in bus fares.