TN woman bus driver quits following row over ticketing MP Kanimozhi
Coimbatore (TN) (PTI): The city's first woman driver, Sharmila on Friday quit her job over a controversy surrounding issuing of bus ticket to DMK MP Kanimozhi who preferred to travel in the vehicle with the youngster behind the wheel.
Sharmila alleged Kanimozhi was 'disrespected' by a woman conductor over carrying a ticket although the DMK MP bought one.
The issue seemed to be over tickets for those accompanying Kanimozhi.
Barely minutes after the DMK Parliamentarian took a ride from Gandhipuram to Peelamedu in the city, Sharmila said she had to give up her "dream job" allegedly after her colleague disrespected Kanimozhi and also because her management accused her of seeking publicity by inviting prominent personalities to travel in the bus.
"As promised, Kanimozhi madam had come to travel in the bus in which I was driving. But the conductor had asked the MP to buy the ticket and this led to an argument between me and the conductor," Sharmila told reporters.
She claimed she had intimated her management about the proposed visit of the MP but she could not digest the "disrespect" meted out to the DMK leader.
When she and her father took up the issue with the management she was accused of seeking publicity by inviting prominent personalities to travel in her bus, Sharmila, aged 24, who became popular as the city's first woman bus driver, said. Several of her videos had gone viral on social media.
She said BJP legislator Vanathi Srinivasan too had earlier travelled in her bus.
The transport owner Durai Kannan however denied being informed about Kanimozhi's visit today.
"Had we been intimated, we would have made proper arrangements for the MP," he told reporters here.
Also, he refuted a charge that the management forced Sharmila to quit the job and said that she left on her own accord.
Earlier, Kanimozhi who arrived in the city to participate in a meeting on cyber crimes against women, lauded Sharmila for her efforts in becoming a bus driver.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Trump tells Fox News he's no longer sending Witkoff, Kushner to Pakistan for Iran talks
Islamabad (AP): President Donald Trump says he told top US envoys not to travel to Pakistan to negotiate with Iran, telling Fox News that "they can call us anytime they want.”
In a brief phone interview Saturday, Trump told Fox News that he told US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner “you're not going to be making any more 18 hour flights to sit around talking about nothing.”
Trump also said of the US side “we have all the cards.”
His comments came after the White House said Friday that Witkoff and Kushner would be heading to Pakistan for another round of negotiations with Iran.
