Hyderabad: BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao sharply criticised the Centre while opposing the new labour codes and said India carries both extreme wealth and severe poverty. He argued that Western-style laws failed to match India’s social realities. During a round-table meeting with labour unions at Telangana Bhavan, he said the discussion offered more value than routine legislative sessions. The session, he noted, also coincided with Ambedkar Mahaparinirvan Diwas.
KTR said Telangana emerged because of the Constitution drafted by Dr B.R. Ambedkar, and the BRS paid homage earlier in the day. He warned that reforms linked to free-trade agreements could harm vulnerable groups when local conditions were ignored. Many families, he pointed out, still relied on white ration cards. Because of this imbalance, he urged workers to stay alert to new policies.
KTR links new labour codes to risks highlighted by aviation turmoil
He recalled that K. Chandrashekar Rao supported poor families through consistent measures, including large saree orders for Sircilla weavers. Several critics, he said, commented without understanding labour realities. KCR also helped distressed workers while in opposition, a move intended to push governments toward action. KTR then compared India’s slow reform pace with China’s rapid policy updates aligned to public needs.
He said limited BRS presence in the Lok Sabha allowed Congress and the BJP to advance laws affecting workers without strong resistance. Because the debate remained narrow, harmful policies went unchallenged. He then pointed to the aviation turmoil as a clear example of monopoly risk. IndiGo cancelled nearly one thousand flights in five days, creating chaos at airports.
According to him, essential infrastructure—including ports and airports—fell under the control of a few operators. Labour exploitation, he said, triggered the crisis and forced the Centre to withdraw its own rules. He warned that the new labour codes could spread similar instability across other sectors. Therefore, BRTU could join any union opposing the codes.
KTR questioned how the Telangana Congress government could enforce a bill Sonia Gandhi opposed in Delhi. He called on workers to begin their fight in Telangana. BRS leaders, he said, would meet central labour authorities soon. Until the Centre paused the new codes, he proposed that Assembly and Council sessions could be stalled. He also announced a follow-up round-table meeting in Warangal.