(Image source from: Quora)

Cong Demands Public Apology From KCR Over Poor Quality Of “Bathukamma Saris”:- After staging protests on Monday, Congress leaders launched a scathing attack on the Telangana State government. They alleged that sarees being distributed for Bathukamma festival were of poor quality and that women were miffed over taking them for granted. Moreover, they demanded immediate withdrawal of cases against people who staged protests and burnt  bathukamma sarees demanding quality sarees.

Senior Congress MLAs D.K. Aruna, N. Padmavathi, Komatireddy Venkata Reddy and T. Jeevan Reddy on Tuesday demanded a public apology from Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and IT minister K.T. Rama Rao for the distribution of poor quality saris on the eve of Bathukamma.

They also condemned the IT minister for alleging that Congress leaders were involved in the burning of saris at various places in the state.

Addressing media persons, on Tuesday, MLA DK Aruna questioned as to why Opposition parties should not stage protests when the State government was trying to take people for a ride, supplying poor quality polyster sarees after promising hand loom sarees. “We are only demanding good quality sarees. As a responsible Opposition party, we cannot sit without raising questions on behalf of the public,” she said.

(Video Source: 10TVNewsChannel)

“As women, we know how poor the quality was. What does K.T. Rama Rao knew about women’s saris? The government failed to check the quality of the saris being supplied to women on the eve of Bathukamma. Why should the government supply such poor stuff? It is all public money, not the personal property of the Chief Minister or K.T. Rama Rao. We demand that the government ensure the distribution of good quality saris,” the Congress women MLAs said.

They said that the government had failed to order the saris from handloom weavers across the state, and had instead favored Sircilla powerloom weavers from the constituency represented by K.T. Rama Rao.

“We want to know whether family members of the Chief Minister and K.T. Rama Rao, especially the self-styled Bathukamma festival icon Kalvakuntla Kavitha, would wear the saris that were distributed on Monday?” the Congress MLAs asked.

MLA Padmavati Reddy alleged that the sarees were not only of poor quality but were also of smaller size than what women in rural areas wear. She demanded that the government recall the Bathukamma sarees immediately and deposit equal amount in the bank accounts of women.

At another press conference, senior Congress MLA T. Jeevan Reddy alleged that people were taken for granted while distributing the alleged poor quality sarees and cases were filed against those who questioned the government.

(Video Source: 10TVNewsChannel)

He suggested that instead of supplying sarees, the government should have deposited the amount in the bank accounts of beneficiaries enabling them to purchase sarees of their choice, whereas another MLA and Komatireddy Venkata Reddy demanded apology from the State government for supplying low quality sarees to poor women. He felt that the government could have spent a few more crores to procure silk sarees and distribute them to poor women. “In either case, funds spent for procuring sarees was taxpayer’s money. Who would say no if they spent a few more crores and distributed silk sarees?” he questioned.

SUPRAJA