Former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has asked the traders and the business community to get rid of the tag of being the traditional and committed voters of the Bhartiya janata party and support the Samajwadi party as his party alone can fight for protecting their interests.  He said the Bhartiya Janata Party government has inflicted huge blow to the economy by demonetization and the Goods and services tax.

``Farmers and the traders are the twin pillars of the economy and this pair is crucial for the growth of economy. The BJP by implementing GST and demonetization has broken this pair. Its high tome that the traders and business community should reconsider their support to the BJP’’ said the SP president Akhilesh Yadav while addressing the meeting of the UP Udyog Vyaapar Sangthan at the state office e of the party here on Sunday.

``Samajwadi party  during the recent  elections of the urban local bodies  had given tickets to the  traders   and it’s high time that they should consider shifting their allegiance lock stock  and barrel  from the BJP and get rid of the tag  of being the pocket borough of the Saffron party’’, said the SP president.  He added`` the traders during the 2014  lok Sabha elections and  this year’s state assembly  state elections had overwhelmingly supported the  BJP but the saffron party not only disappointed them but ruined  the trade  and the economy by  demonetization and implementation of the Goods and Services Tax’’.

``The traders are the most insecure community in the state under the BJP rule.  In several cases where big traders and businessman who were victims of dacoity  in Mathura, Sitapur, Varanasi and some other places are yet to be worked out by the state police and  they are living in  constant  fear of threat to their  life and property’’, said the  SP president.

Akhilesh Yadav said the traders during the recent elections to the urban local bodies had expressed their disapproval of the policies of the BJP resulting in huge setbacks to the BJP candidates.  He said not only close to 45 percent of the BJP candidates lost their security deposits the vote share of the party also dipped.

SP general secretary  and Rajya Sabha MP Ram Gopal Yadav  said   `` its matter of deep regret  that whenever there  are elections to the state assembly or the parliament the traders   vote for the BJP as if it’s their habit’’, the BJP has ruined the economy and particularly the small  traders who are part of the unorganized sector’’.  He added `` as many as 25,000 businessmen have shifted their business to other countries after demonetization and the implementation of the GST’’.

SP Rajya Sabha MP and president of UP Udyog Vypar Sangthan, Naresh Agarwal   said in view of the patently anti trade and business policies of the BJP, the traders should extend their support to the Samajwadi party.  

 He said the traders should give a befitting reply to the BJP in 2019 lok Sabha by voting against the ruling party at the Center and UP.