Congress responsible for handloom crisis and weavers’ suicides: BRS

Hyderabad: Alleging that the Congress government was responsible for the crisis in the handloom industry and that the suicides by weavers were murders by the government, BRS leaders on Sunday demanded work orders for the weavers and implement the schemes formulated under the BRS government.

Addressing a press conference here at the party office in Telangana Bhavan, MLC L Ramana said that the Congress government had given many promises to the leaders in the Assembly elections. They talked about guarantees and promised to implement them in 100 days but no guarantee was implemented, he alleged. The BRS leader further alleged that the weavers were committing suicide again in the state and Revanth Reddy's government was the reason why the handloom industry is in crisis. He said that the Congress had promised to lift GST on the textile industry after coming into power but it had failed to do so.

He recalled that when K Chandrashekar Rao was the chief minister, a loan of Rs 50,000 was given to each family of the handloom workers. “We stood by handloom weavers by giving orders for sarees during Dussehra and Bathukamma festivals. KCR gave a monthly pension of Rs 2,000 to handloom weavers. Through Netanna Bhima, Rs 5 lakh assistance was given to the families of the weavers,” he said. Ramana said that almost 10,000 people have lost their jobs since last November. “The weavers should teach a lesson to the Congress with their votes. The BRS leaders have been suggesting to the government on improving their conditions. Had the government responded to the suggestions, the suicides would not have happened,” said Ramana.