A statewide bandh was observed in Telangana on Friday, August 22, in connection with the ongoing ‘Marwari Go Back’ campaign that has stirred heated debates over business dominance and local livelihoods. The bandh, called by the Osmania University Joint Action Committee (OUJAC), witnessed shops and businesses voluntarily shutting down in districts such as Yadadri, Narayanpet, Jangaon, and Nalgonda. OUJAC chairman Kothapalli Tirupathi Reddy alleged that Marwari traders from Gujarat and Rajasthan were undermining Telangana’s small traders through what he described as “deceptive business strategies.” He warned that the agitation could intensify if the government fails to intervene and regulate such practices.
The OUJAC drew parallels between Telangana’s earlier struggle against Andhra’s dominance during the united Andhra Pradesh era and the current wave of protests against Marwari businessmen. According to the committee, Marwaris have migrated to Telangana and are allegedly damaging caste-based professions and monopolizing trade sectors. Several associations, including the Vaisya Vikas Vedika, extended their support to the bandh and backed resolutions demanding that businesses established by outsiders must allocate at least 89 percent of jobs to local youth. Leaders further argued that Marwari traders were exploiting Telangana’s resources without employing locals, particularly in small towns and semi-urban areas, leaving indigenous traders vulnerable.
Adding fuel to the unrest, the campaign reportedly gained momentum after an incident at Monda Market where a Marwari jeweller allegedly attacked a man from a marginalized community over a parking dispute. This flashpoint turned into a rallying cry against what activists call economic and social exploitation by outsiders. Telangana Kranti Dal president Sangamreddy Prithviraj urged citizens to boycott Marwari-owned businesses and goods, warning against what he termed as exploitation at the cost of Telangana’s small traders. He was later arrested by the Telangana police on Friday, further escalating tensions around the movement. The bandh has raised serious questions for the state government, which now faces the challenge of balancing communal harmony with addressing economic grievances of local traders.
