Hyderabad: In the backdrop of growing economic changes across Telangana, noted academic Prof. Haragopal has cautioned against the brewing discontent among small traders and artisans, especially in rural and semi-urban areas. He addressed on the changing development models impacting the local people with small capital and their economic conditions being hit hard.

He remarked that the expansion of big capital holding trading communities into smaller towns is creating apprehensions among traditional business families.

Prof. Haragopal emphasized that, unlike the political slogans of the Telangana movement, which never targeted business communities, the current tensions stem from economic displacement rather than regional identity. “During the Telangana agitation, “we never gave a slogan that our businesses are not our own. But now the expansion of capital into local markets is threatening small-scale livelihoods,” he stated.

According to him, traditional occupations such as gold ornament making, weaving, and small-scale retailing are under increasing strain. Large capital holders, often from established business groups, are purchasing small shops and outlets, thereby displacing families who have practiced their trades for generations. “For a goldsmith or a weaver, these skills are all they know. If they are uprooted, hundreds will lose their only livelihoods,” he warned.

When asked if he had supported the slogans like Marwari or Gujarati Go back, Haragopal denied, urging caution when interpreting these tensions as community-based conflicts. “This is not about Marwaris or Gujaratis. It is about a development model where big capital is overpowering small capital,” he clarified.

Tracing the policy changes, he argued that deregulation and the repeal of the Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices (MRTP) Act in 2002 gave way to competition laws that disproportionately favored large industries. The resulting inequalities, he said, have left small traders and artisans defenseless against corporate competition.

He further pointed out that the big capital holders aligned with the ideological streams of the RSS and BJP in Telangana’s expansion into the rural areas is gives the issue a new socio-political dimension.

“As investment expands, protection for small businesses is essential,” he said, calling for government intervention. “We should reflect and suggest measures that safeguard traditional occupations so that our villages do not descend into a state of rupture.”

Prof. Haragopal concluded by urging policymakers to strike a balance between growth and inclusivity, warning that unregulated expansion of big capital would deepen inequalities and erode centuries-old livelihoods, as the small capital holders neither could compete nor were equipped with the skill sets to compete with the new entrants into the Telangana rural yards.