CM turns to Sonia to douse 'beedi smoke'

Hyderabad, Nov 24 (UNI) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy will take up the beedi workers issue with Congress President Sonia Gandhi during her visit to the State.

Dr Reddy would impress upon Ms Gandhi visit to during her Tirupati tomorrow to find an immediate solution to the issue in the interest of lakhs of beedi workers in the state, official sources here said.

Meanwhile, Dr Reddy spoke to Union Minister of State-independent charge) for Labour Oscar Fernandes to protect the interests of beedi workers fearing loss of livelihood, following the Central Government's order making it statutory to print the skull and bones monogram on beedi bundles.

Earlier, TDP President N Chandrababu Naidu told reporters that TRS Chief K Chandrasekhara Rao, who had been heading the Union Labour Ministry when the controversial order was passed, could not escape responsibility for the ''anti-labour'' decision.

Andhra Pradesh Health Minister K Rosaiah, who tried his best to overcome the political fallout of the Centre's decision with opposition parties blaming the ruling Congress, returned empty-handed with Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss reportedly making it clear that there was no going back on the decision. It was supported by all parties in Parliament.

The Karimnagar district has nine beedi factories employing 2.5 lakh workers, of whom two lakh belong to the Karimnagar Lok Sabha Constituency alone.

All the nine factories are in the constituency and the beedi workers form a seventh of the Lok Sabha electorate of 14 lakh odd voters.

All the parties are trying to woo the beedi voters and in the process blaming each other for the central decision.

While TRS Chief and Former Union Labour Minister K Chandrasekhara Rao, whose resignation caused the Karimnagar by-election blamed the health minister of the UPA government, the TDP blamed both the Congress and the TRS.

The Congress said that the act was brought in 2003 when the TDP supported NDA government was in power and the GO was released while Chandrasekhara Rao was the Union Labour Minister in 2005.

UNI SM/JRK VV KR ND2142