HYDERABAD: Industries minister K.T. Rama Rao has advised state BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar to question the Centre on why it had withdrawn insurance cover for weavers and their reluctance to set up a National Textile Research Institute and an Indian Institute of Handloom Technology, as well as a mega power-loom cluster in the state.
In an open letter to Sanjay, Rao took serious objection to the BJP leader’s allegations that the government was doing precious little for weavers. Sanjay’s utterances came after meeting weavers in Mahbubnagar district during his ongoing padayatra.
Rao pointed out that it was the Telangana government that came up with a life insurance scheme for weavers. He asked if the Centre had provided anything substantial for Kakatiya mega textile park, which is an initiative of the state government.
It was after the TRS government came to power that suicides among weavers had stopped. Their incomes have doubled in the last eight years, Rao said.
Despite being a member of the Lok Sabha, the BJP leader never raised issues concerning Telangana weavers in Parliament, which exposed his doublespeak, Rao said.
