BJP announces Gandhi anniversary khadi fair in Vijayawada

The Bharatiya Janata Party will organise a khadi fair in Vijayawada on Friday as part of its Seva Sankalp Abhiyan to mark the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. BJP State spokesperson Mullapudi Renuka announced the programme on Wednesday. The fair will take place from 9 a.m.

to 8 p.m. on the first floor of IV Palace in the city. Renuka said cultural programmes would be held in the morning and evening, and appealed to people to attend with their families and buy handloom products.

She said similar fairs had been held the previous year in Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Rajamahendravaram, Tirupati and other district headquarters. According to Renuka, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu attended the Vijayawada event last year and encouraged the initiative.

This year’s programme will be held under the leadership of BJP State president P.V.N. Madhav. State in-charges appointed by the party’s national leadership are also expected to attend, Renuka said.

She described khadi as a symbol of swadeshi, self-reliance and self-respect, recalling its role in the freedom movement. She also said the sector had become an important source of livelihood for rural families, particularly women. Renuka said the Centre had supported khadi, handloom and rural and cottage industries through marketing initiatives, digital platforms and financial assistance.

She claimed the khadi sector’s turnover had risen from about ₹33,000 crore in 2013-14 to around ₹1.7 lakh crore currently, though the supplied material does not provide supporting figures. She noted that Ponduru Khadi in Andhra Pradesh had received a geographical indication tag and called for greater promotion of handloom clusters in Mangalagiri and Venkatagiri. She said purchases would directly support weavers and their families and urged residents to help make the October 2 fair successful.