BJP to convene a national convention of weavers

"The handloom weavers in the country are forced to live a life of penury. To articulate their voice and concerns, the BJP Weavers and Artisan cell will organise a national convention of weavers from across the country on May 8 at Delhi," said BJP general secretary Ravi Shankar Prasad.

He said atleast 6,000 weavers from across the country are likely to attend the convention - "Bunkar Samar Shankhnad", a mahasammelan of weavers, where they will voice the problems faced by them and the industry.

The meeting will be inaugurated by BJP president Nitin Gadkari at Talkatora stadium and Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj and other senior party leaders will attend the programme.

"Successive Congress governments, in states and at the Centre have neglected this sector for years and have pushed it towards decimation. The condition of weavers, during the rule of Congress led UPA has deteriorated sharply all across the country, but nowhere more so than in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Suicides by weavers have reached epidemic proportions," alleged Prasad.

He pointed out that as per state government figures, 700 weavers committed suicide in Andhra Pradesh in recent times (the actual figure is around 2,000). "The figures of other states like Tamil Nadu and UP are not exactly known. The reasons are lack of regular job-work, inadequate wages, indebtedness, negligence in paying bills by government agencies to weavers for their products, high cost of production and no remunerative price and ill health."

He said even when the government declares financial assistance to the families of the victims, it is not delivered to them. (MORE)