No free Batukamma saris this Dassehra

Hyderabad: The TRS government’s plan to distribute 95 lakh saris among the Telangana women on the occasion of “Batukamma” festival has been grounded with the Election Commission of India putting its foot down.

Batukamma, to be celebrated from October 9 to 17 is a festival of flowers, which was being celebrated as a state festival since the formation of Telangana.

The election body has refused permission to the state government for distribution of saris saying it violated the model code of conduct enforced in view of the forthcoming state assembly elections.

After the state Chief Electoral Officer Rajath Kumar sought clarification on whether the caretaker government can go ahead with the distribution of saris, the CEC sent a communication that it would be a violation of model code of conduct. The CEC noted that though the scheme was old, it would amount to influencing the voters.

Rajath Kumar had sought the clarification after the main opposition Congress party objected to the plans of free sari distribution. Congress swung in to action after senior minister K Taraka Rama Rao announced that the saris would be distributed on October 12.

CEC’s directive came just as the state administration was gearing up for the massive distribution of saris at a cost of Rs280 crores.

The state government was making preparations for the distribution of the new cloths among women for the past many months and the orders for the supply of saris were placed with the handloom weavers across the state. About 50 lakh saris were already kept ready in the district headquarters while the remaining stocks were also being readied.

The program was a great hit last year as the Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s government justified the distribution of saris saying that its objective was to ensure that every woman in the state was able to celebrate the “Batukamma” festival. However in view of the complaints that the saris sourced from Gujrat were not of good quality, the state government had decided to ensure that only handloom saris made in Telangana by the weavers would be distributed this year.

Similarly another program of distribution of checks among the farmers under the “Rythu Bandhu” schemes was also likely to meet the same fate. Taraka Rama Rao had said that the second phase of distribution of cheques of Rs4000 per acre incentive to the farmers will be held in November first week. CEC sources said that a decision will be taken on the issue within a week.

The opposition Congress had opposed the handing over of the cheques to the farmers by the ministers of caretaker government or the TRS leaders. They suggested that it should be done by the state government officials.