Banners saying ‘Modi no Entry’ pop up in Hyderabad ahead of PM visit, demand rollback of GST on handloom

Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to visit Andhra Pradesh and Telangana on 11 and 12 November to launch a slew of developmental projects in the two Telugu states.

In Telangana, he will dedicate the Ramagundam Fertilizers and Chemicals Limited (RFCL) plant in the Pedapalli district to the nation.

Weavers message to Modi ji pic.twitter.com/sJjON9eBxi

— Krishank (@Krishank_BRS) November 10, 2022

Incidentally, the TRS and the BJP were locked in a poster slugfest ahead of the latter’s national executive meeting in July in Hyderabad.

‘Roll back 5% GST on handloom’

The Union government had recently imposed a five percent Goods and Services Tax  (GST) on handloom products, a first in the country.

A march as part of the postcard campaign for the weavers of Telangana. (Supplied)

The banner, raised by the Telangana Chenetha Youth Force, demanded the government to withdraw the GST.

The decision of the Union government has drawn flak from the weavers’ associations across the country.

Addressing a news conference at the Press Club of Hyderabad, the weavers alleged that the price of yarn has increased heavily due to the myopic policies of the Union government. The yarn’s high cost increased the price of handloom products.

They added that the government had also abolished various weavers-centric welfare schemes — Lombard health insurance scheme, house-cum-co-work shed scheme, and the central share in the savings-cum-security scheme — and most importantly the All India Handloom Board in 2020.

Postcard campaign and online petition 

KTR Writes Postcard to PM. (Supplied)

Telangana Handlooms and Textiles Minister KT Rama Rao on 23 October launched an online petition appealing the Union Government to remove the GST on handloom products to safeguard the lives of weavers and protect India’s cultural heritage.

He launched the online campaign a day after he had written a personal postcard to the Prime Minister, demanding a rollback of the five percent GST on handloom products.

Earlier, several weavers on 31 October had taken out a rally from Nizam College grounds to the General Post Office at Abids to post lakhs of postcards they had brought from various parts of the state.

Posters not the first time

In July, a Money Heist-inspired hoarding was seen at LB Nagar Circle in Hyderabad.

“Mr. N Modi, we only rob banks, you rob the whole nation [sic],” the hoarding read, displaying images of the hit Netflix show that revolves around a bank robbery by masked criminals.

Such creativity!#Hyderabad#MoneyHeist pic.twitter.com/r5jNl9aMtb

— YSR (@ysathishreddy) July 1, 2022

Several hoardings targeting Modi had then appeared overnight across Hyderabad in areas such as Parade Grounds, Begumpet, Hitech City, Abids, Nampally, Banjara Hills, Madhapur, and Lakdikapul.

One of the banners, with Modi’s picture and the slogan, “Saalu Modi and Sampaku Modi (Bye Bye Modi)”, was seen near the VVIP entrance of the Parade Grounds in Secunderabad, where the Prime Minister addressed a rally on 3 July.