Uttam: Both TRS, BJP equally responsible for weavers' plight

Hyderabad/ Munugodu: Congress senior leader and MP N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Tuesday ridiculed the 'postcard' campaigning launched by Industries Minister K Taraka Rama Rao in protest against the GST on handloom products and described it as a gimmick with Munugodu by-election is ahead.

"When BJP government at the Centre imposed GST on handloom products including Khadi handloom, handicrafts, mats, pots and ploughs, from 1st July 2017, TRS government not only defended Prime Minister Narendra Modi but prevented the Congress party from protesting against it. In fact, Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao was at the forefront of celebrating the imposition of GST. Now, because of Munugodu 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 Munugodu by-election on Tuesday.

Uttam asked as to why KTR needs to raise demand through Twitter and other social media platforms. "Why has the TRS government 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 if the TRS government was honest in its demand, the State government should bear the GST burden on handloom products as a subsidy. However, he said that TRS government was demanding a roll-back only in view of the Munugodu 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-election.