CHENNAI: Rebutting the charges levelled by State BJP president K Annamalai over procurement of dhotis and sarees for free distribution to ration card holders during the Pongal festival, State Handloom Minister R Gandhi on Tuesday said that the saffron party leader was levelling baseless and unnecessary allegations for political gains.

“It is unbecoming of a person holding a State-level position in a political party to issue a false and baseless allegation with an intention to spread rumours in an undignified manner for political gains,” said Gandhi in a statement, rebuffing the charges levelled by Annamalai.

The minister said that a consignment of 13 lakh dhotis was rejected by the procuring agencies for polyester content in excess of the permissible limit.

The minister said that attempts to defame the Dravidian model government, which has ensured the safety and welfare of all sections of the society, would not succeed.

He clarified that GOs were issued on August 27 and October 23, 2024, for procuring 1.77 crore sarees and dhotis for distribution during 2025 Pongal and the stock required for the scheme was manufactured by handloom and power-loom weaver’s cooperatives societies.

Stating the 40S poly cot grey yarn, 40S cotton yarn and 60S dyed cotton yarn and polyester yarn were procured from cooperative mills, the National Handloom Development Corporation and open market via the Tender Transparency Act 1998 and 2000, the minister.

The yarn lots were shortlisted after the scrutiny by the Powerloom Service Centre-SITRA, he added, saying that recognised quality testing labs and textile committee were given clearance.

Claiming that products manufactured by member weavers were subjected to 100% quality checks at the warehouses of Co-Optex, Tamil Nadu Handloom Development Corporation and Tamil Nadu Mills Association, the minister said that only those products that met with quality compliance were dispatched to the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation warehouses in respective districts.