TRS, BJP equally responsible for weavers’ plight in Telangana: Uttam

Hyderabad, October 25: Congress MP & former TPCC President Capt. N. Uttam Kumar Reddy has ridiculed the ‘postcard’ campaign launched by Industries Minister K. Tarakarama Rao in protest against the GST on handloom products and described it as a gimmick because of Munugode by-elections.

“When BJP Govt at the Centre imposed GST on handloom products including Khadi handloom, handicrafts, mats, pots and ploughs, from 1st July 2017, TRS Govt not only defended Prime Minister Narendra Modi but prevented the Congress party from protesting against it. In fact, Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao was at the forefront of celebrating the imposition of GST. Now, because of Munugode by-elections, TRS leaders are enacting the dramas of a ‘postcard’ and ‘online signature’ campaigns to mislead the people,” Uttam Kumar Reddy said while addressing a series of meetings as part of campaign in favour of Congress candidate Palvai Shravanti in Munugode by-elections on Tuesday.

Uttam Kumar Reddy asked why KTR needs to raise demand through Twitter and other social media platforms. “Why has the TRS Govt never objected to GST on handlooms since July 2017? How many times, as the Handloom Minister, has KTR sent an official communication to the Centre demanding the roll-back of GST? Why is CM KCR hesitating to have an official G2G (Government to Government) communication with the Centre?” he asked while adding that raising demands through media and social media suits only opposition parties, not the ruling party like TRS.

The Congress MP said that if the TRS Govt was honest in its demand, the State Government should bear the GST burden on handloom products as a subsidy. However, he said that TRS Govt was demanding a roll-back only in view of the Munugode by-elections and it would return to silent mode on this issue after losing the by-polls. Stating that the Congress party has been fighting against the faulty GST, especially GST on handloom products since 2017, he said that the Congress party would launch a massive movement on the issue after winning the Munugode by-elections.

Uttam Kumar Reddy also asked KTR to explain why TRS Govt completely neglected the Primary Handloom Weavers’ Cooperative Societies (PHWCS) which plays a crucial role in the development of the handloom industry. He said it was the previous Congress Govt which held elections to the 527 PHWCs on February 11, 2013. Despite the completion of their terms three years ago, TRS Govt did not conduct elections. It has been extending its term every six months.

Further, the Congress MP said that the weavers have been demanding a total rollback of GST, revision of the Netannaku Cheyuta and Cheneta Mitra scheme and setting up a corporation to extend loans of up to Rs. 10 lakh. The weavers are also demanding the constitution of an expert committee to study issues to prevent suicides by weavers. However, he said that the TRS Govt never addressed these issues and even tried to hush up the weavers’ suicide. He said more than hundreds of weavers committed suicide after TRS came to power. Instead of taking measures to prevent suicide, TRS Govt went on record in the High Court denying mass suicide by weavers. “Why KTR was silent when three members of a family belonging to the weaving community committed suicide in Katnapalli village of Choppadandi Mandal in February this year?” he asked.

Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the BJP Govt did nothing to strengthen the Handloom Reservation Act, 1985. No action was taken either by BJP or TRS Govt against the textile manufacturers, industrialists and marketers, who violated the Act by selling power loom products as handloom.

He said that the weavers would not get misled by the gimmicks being played by both TRS and BJP leaders in view of the Munugode by-elections. He appealed to the entire weaving community to support Congress candidate Palvai Shravanti. He said that the victory of the Congress party with a huge majority would force both BJP and TRS Govts to resolve the long-pending demands of the weavers’ community. (Maxim News)

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