Telangana ASHA, Anganwadi Workers Threaten to Intensify Protests Over Pending Wage Demands

Unions representing ASHA and Anganwadi workers across Telangana warned on Thursday, September 10, that they would escalate their statewide agitation if the state government continues to sit on their demands and uses police to restrict their protests.

The CITU-affiliated union urged all one lakh Anganwadi and ASHA workers in the state to prepare for a sustained struggle to push back against what it called government-imposed restrictions and to secure long-pending wages and benefits.

Union leaders — including Anganwadi union state president K Sunitha, general secretary P Jayalakshmi, ASHA union president P Jayalakshmi and general secretary R Neeladevi — demanded that the government announce the fulfilment of its pending promises to the two worker categories before the current Assembly session wraps up. They also called for an inquiry into police personnel who they alleged denied ASHA workers permission to protest at Dharna Chowk, and who they accused of assaulting workers and causing injuries during the crackdown, demanding action against those responsible.

The unions went further, seeking disciplinary action against the Domalguda circle inspector, whom they accused of orchestrating a 30-person police raid on their protest and spreading false claims branding union leaders as Maoists and Naxalites — allegations the unions said were baseless and meant to discredit their movement.

With their demands still unresolved and tensions over the police response continuing to simmer, the unions signalled that the coming days could see a broader mobilisation of ASHA and Anganwadi workers across the state if the government does not act before the Assembly session concludes.