Tamil Nadu Female Bus Driver Fired Hours After Being Felicitated

Hours after being felicitated by Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, a female bus driver in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu was fired.

The Member of Parliament (MP) and DMK deputy general secretary Kanimozhi took a private bus from Gandhipuram to Peelamedu on Friday. The bus was being driven by 23-year-old Sharmila, a female bus driver. 

The bus driver was later felicitated by DMK leader Kanimozhi, who also gave Sharmila in the presence of her father, who is a bus driver himself.

But soon after, Sharmila said the bus company's owner fired her after she went to complain about a female trainee bus operator who allegedly acted impolitely towards Kanimozhi while she was on board.

Female Bus Driver Fired In The Name Of Doing Publicity

Sharmila claims that the bus owner told her that she was bringing renowned individuals for publicity purposes and asked her to get off the bus. She alleged that the manager insulted her father as well. However, the employer denied dismissing Sharmila from her position.

Conflicting reports say that Sharmila wasn't fired from her post but instead quit her job for the reasons mentioned above. 

Kanimozhi then spoke to reports and spoke about how when people say that women and men are equal, someone asks whether a woman can drive a bus or a lorry. She then asserted that Sharmila was proof that women are capable of driving large vehicles like buses. The DMK MP added that women are capable of handling any task. 

Sharmila also spoke with reporters and revealed that while the politician was riding the bus, she was unable to speak with her as she was driving. However, Sharmila got the chance to communicate with her when the bus halted at Peelamedu. She revealed that Kanimozhi also gave her a hug. Sharmila stated that she was overjoyed to receive a present from her.

A few days earlier, Sharmila's bus also carried BJP MLA Vanati Sreenivasan of Coimbatore.

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