BJP promises sops to weavers

Special Correspondent - The Hindu

Party secretary Muralidhar Rao ends fast to highlight weavers' problems

 

Solidarity show: BJP national president Nitin Gadkari with secretary P. Muralidhar Rao and State BJP president G. Kishan Reddy, in Hyderabad on Friday. -Photo: Mohd. Yousuf

BJP national president Nitin Gadkari has announced that weavers would be included in the below poverty line (BPL) category and the loans taken by them waived if his party returned to power at the Centre.

Addressing a meeting at the conclusion of three-day fast by BJP national secretary P. Muralidhar Rao to highlight the plight of weavers' problems here on Friday, he also promised to provide free electricity to weavers community. Lashing out at the Centre for neglecting weavers, he said that a huge convention would be organised at Delhi to sensitise the government and he would also lead a delegation of party MPs to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

He said that Mr. Rao's fast had focussed the attention of the government and the nation on the pathetic condition of weavers. Stating that more than 2,000 weavers had committed suicide in Andhra Pradesh, he said with prices soaring, the marginalised sections, including artisans, fishermen and weavers were able to have only one meal a day.

He alleged that the wrong economic policies and ‘corrupt governance' of the Congress had ruined the country.

Declaring that BJP's aim was to change the lives of the poor for the better, Mr. Gadkari said that BJP-led NDA was poised to come back to power at the Centre and in most States. The struggle on the weavers issue would continue till all demands were conceded and exhorted the cadres to take to streets to fight against the injustice being meted out to the poor.

State BJP president G. Kishan Reddy demanded that the government allocate budget in proportion to the population of weavers for their welfare and sought a white paper on the amount spent to improve their conditions.

P. Muralidhar Rao, former Samata Party leader Jaya Jaitley, BJP national vice-president and in-charge of AP, Purshottam Rupali, all India BJP weavers cell convenor, Basanth Kumar, BJP Tamil Nadu unit president Radhakrishnan were among those who spoke.