TRS is doing cheap politics over Bhatukamma sarees: Uttam

Hyderabad: Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president Capt. N. Uttam Kumar Reddy has accused the TRS Government of doing cheap politics over Bhathukamma sarees.

Addressing party workers meetings in Dichpally of Nizamabad district and Utnoor of Adilabad district on Tuesday as part of 'Indiramma Rythu Bata' programme, Uttam Kumar Reddy said that Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao has insulted poor women by distributing them cheap, sub-standard and defective sarees. He said instead of ordering probe into the allegations of supply of defective and poor quality sarees by women in various parts of the State, TRS leaders were blaming Congress party for the protests. "Poor women reacted spontaneously as they felt humiliated after looking at the sarees given to them. Instead of finding out the reasons that angered poor women to the extent that they burnt the sarees on roads, Minister K. Tarakarama Rao and other TRS leaders started blaming Congress party for the protests," he said.

Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the TRS leaders were in the grip of 'Congress phobia'. "KCR or any other TRS leaders lack both morals and guts to accept their mistakes. Instead, they are trying to cover up the failures by blaming Congress party. TRS Govt tried to gain cheap publicity by distributing sarees on Bathukamma festival. However, this plan got sabotaged due to the greed of their own leaders who purchased poor quality sarees to make a killing and the entire exercise exposed the ill-intentions of ruling party," he said adding that KCR has completely ruined the festive mood of Bathukamma with this mis-adventure.

The TPCC chief said that the Farmers Coordination Committees being constituted by the TRS Govt was among another election gimmick of KCR which would fall flat. He ridiculed KCR's claim that his government was taking up the land rectification and survey for the first time. He said the previous Congress regimes took up several land reforms and also distributed over 10 lakh acres among poor farmers. Stating that the Coordination Committees were nothing but groups of local TRS leaders, he said that the Congress party would never allow these committees to handle distribution of Rs. 4,000 per acre input subsidy. He said that the Chief Minister should not try to supersede Gram Panchayats by giving away their powers to 'TRS Committees'.

Stating that the TRS Government did nothing practical for the welfare of any sections of society, Uttam Kumar Reddy listed out various incidents wherein Dalits, Girijans, BCs, minorities, women and other weaker sections were subjected to attacks, intimidation and repeated humiliation. He said farmers in Khammam were hand-cuffed and chained for demanding remunerative price for their produce, Dalits were subjected to third-degree torture in Sircilla and Tribal women in Tadvai village were tied to a tree for expressing dissent over government's decision. "Is this the Bangaru Telangana?" he asked.

Uttam Kumar Reddy also alleged that the TRS was having a secret tie-up with BJP. For the same reason, he said that the Central Government has remained a mute spectator to the failures of TRS Government in Telangana. In fact, both are complimenting each other for mis-adventures. He asked the Congress workers to expose the unholy nexus between the TRS and BJP while explaining the failures of both Central and State Governments at booth level. He asked them not to fear intimidating tactics of KCR Government and remain confident that the Congress party was all set to come to power in 2019 elections.

AICC Secretary R.C. Khuntia, in his speech, asked Congress workers to fight unitedly against the wrong policies of TRS Government. He said it was Congress president Sonia Gandhi who gave statehood for Telangana and as thanksgiving, the party workers should ensure that Congress returns to power in next elections.

The meeting was also addressed by AICC SC Cell Chairman K. Raju, Leaders of Opposition K. Jana Reddy (Assembly) and Shabbir Ali (Council), TPCC Working President Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, MLC Akula Lalitha, ex-Speaker K.R. Suresh Reddy, Nizamabad DCC president Taher Bin Hamdan and other senior leaders.