Telangana govt, Opposition spar over ‘sari scam’

A political slugfest has erupted between the Telangana government and the Opposition on the eve of the Bathukamma festival.

In the eye of the storm are the free saris being distributed to over one crore poor women by the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government in the State.

The move — costing the exchequer ₹220 crore — initially seemed generous and welcome. For one, the new State is trying to establish its identity and the colourful Bathukamma festival is apt for that. Secondly, it was intended to provide relief to lakhs of handloom weavers amid troubled times.

Within hours after distribution began on Monday, criticism started pouring in that at some places the saris were of poor quality, made of polyester, and purchased from other States, especially Surat. There were loud rumbles, and instances of saris being burnt.

The Opposition Congress and BJP were quick to attack the government, its agenda behind the largesse and the slipshod manner in which women — who, they said, played a major role in the Telangana agitation — were being treated.

Pooh-poohing the criticism, KT Rama Rao, IT and Textiles & Municipal Administration Minister, said that in such a gigantic effort, small issues are only to be expected.

He accused the Opposition of “manufacturing” incidents and instigating women to create a scene.

Handlooms and Textiles Director Shailaja Ramaiyer said the aim was to procure the saris from handloom and power loom units within the State, but due to paucity of time, the huge numbers required and inability expressed by weavers to meet the demand, the government had to go for tenders.

Surat Textiles won the tender for the supply of a sizeable number of saris, she said.

The leading women members of the Congress, DK Aruna, Sunitha Laxma Reddy and Padmavathi Reddy, tore into the K Chandrasekhara Rao government’s scheme, alleging that it insulted the women of Telangana by distributing sub-standard saris.

They pointed out that for festivals such as Bathukamma, middle-aged women typically wore nine-yards saris, and the government was ignorant of this.

Purchased in bulk, the cost of each sari would have worked out to less than ₹100, the leaders added.

The BJP demanded a probe into the ‘Bathukamma sari scam’. The party’s State unit president K Laxman charged that unsold saris in Surat have been picked up at ₹25 apiece.

Telangana is famous for its handlooms such as Gadwal, Pochampally, Narayanpet, Sircilla and Koyyalagudem.

Interestingly, the KCR government had also distributed kurtha pyjamas to poor Muslims during Ramzan.

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