A public gathering followed by a rally from Nizam College Grounds to General Post Office was organised on Monday where lakhs of postcards, written by weavers from across Telangana to Prime Minister, were deposited, aimed at getting GST exemption.
"During the freedom movement, the whole nation joined Mahatma Gandhi's Swadesi Movement, to spin their own clothes on the charkha and reject foreign materials. Since 75 years of Independence, Narendra Modi is the first Prime Minister to apply tax on handlooms," said MLC L.Ramana.
He said that lakhs of postcards have been written to Prime Minister, seeking the central government to support the handloom industry and exempt it from GST.
"We also request to allocate more budget and bring back all the schemes that were removed earlier. We will call for a nationwide protest until the central government comes down or the handloom industry is exempted from GST," he said.
Ex-MP, Anand Bhaskar said, "The GST on handlooms has become a threat to the life of the weavers. We use this opportunity to request the Prime Minister to save these weavers. This public gathering will move towards the General Post Office, Abids as a Padayatra".
He urged the centre to call a GST council meeting immediately, waive the GST on handlooms, and save the weaver community.
( With inputs from ANI )
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