The traders’ bodies of ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress have locked horns over the bandh called off yesterday by the apex body of business in Chhattisgarh.
The food retailers in Chhattisgarh were supposed to go on a four-day strike in protest against the food security bill from Monday. The bandh was called by the traders’ apex body Chhattisgarh Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
After five days of hectic campaign to make the bandh a grand success, the Chamber Sunday afternoon announced to call off the stir. The change in chamber’s stand came after meeting the chief minister, Raman Singh who assured that he will take up the issue to the Centre.
The four days bandh in a series had perplexed the authorities as it would have created crises of food items in the state. The BJP’s traders’ wing reportedly took the initiative to end the deadlock and met party’s senior functionaries with a proposal that a mere assurance from chief minister will find the result.
On the initiative of the party leaders, Singh met the chamber office bearers on Sunday morning and assured them that he would discuss the matter with the Government of India. He also told traders that he would take the initiative for the amendments in the bill on the points where the traders have reservations.
The opposition Congress blamed the bandh call and later its call off as the gimmick of the BJP government. “The BJP government was behind for calling bandh and later calling it off,” Congress traders’ wing state president Kanhaiya Agrawal said. He charged that the ruling party had been using the traders’ bodies for its political gains.
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The chamber cannot take decision of its own to call for a four-day continuous bandh when crucial business season was ahead, Agrawal said, adding that chamber always takes into consideration the timing and business season into account while announcing date for any agitation.The BJP however turned down the allegation of Congress and said the decision was taken in the larger interest of the common man. “Since the chief minister had assured to take up the issue, there was no logic left to go on strike,” BJP traders’ wing state president Kedar Gupta said.
Gupta said even traders wanted to avoid the strike following marriage season ahead. It was the wrong policy of Congress government at the centre that was paving way for the multi-national companies in India, Gupta added.