KTR offers to resign if he is the reason why Congress is punishing Sircilla weavers

BRS working president KT Rama Rao on Sunday offered to resign as a legislator if his representation of the constituency hindered the government’s support to the weavers of Sircilla.

Reaching out to the family of Bairi Amar and Shravati, a weaver couple from Venkampet village who tragically ended their lives in a suicide pact on Saturday, he pointed out that the couple was among the 34 weavers who died by suicide in the State during the last 11 months of Congress rule. Assuring the bereaved family on Sunday of full support for the education of the couple’s three children, he expressed deep sorrow over the deaths, attributing them to the neglect of the weaver community.

He pointed out the lack of Bathukamma saree orders and other support for the weavers, stating that the couple was too young to die and their children were now in a desperate situation.

“If Chief Minister Revanth Reddy is bearing a grudge against Sircilla weavers just because I represent the constituency, I will resign immediately,” Rama Rao said.

The BRS working president also spoke to Handlooms and Agriculture Minister Thummala Nageshwar Rao, apprising him of the children’s situation and



requestin for assistance of at least Rs.10 lakh to Rs.12 lakh for the family. The Minister responded positively and assured Rama Rao to get the details and extend possible help. Rama Rao later asked BRS functionaries to talk to the management of the private schools where the children were studying to facilitate a fee waiver.

He also offered to deposit Rs.2 lakh each in the names of the three children and bear the entire expenditure of their studies, including professional courses like medicine if they choose to pursue them. He also assured support for maintenance of the family and encouraged the children to be bold, stating that they had faced the worst in their lives.

Later, speaking to the media, he highlighted the plight of weavers, who were caught in a web of misery after the government stopped orders that they were getting for the past so many years. He emphasized that the couple would not have resorted to such an extreme step if they had received at least the assistance promised by the government for women in the State. He said the worsening plight of the weaving community owed to the failure of the State government to fulfill what the Congress party had promised as part of the BC declaration one year ago.