The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) will hold a meeting on Wednesday to decide as to which party the traders will support and vote in upcoming Parliamentary election.
CAIT Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal said that there are about seven crore traders across the country which provide employment to 30 crore people.
“About 40 thousand trade associations and federations all India will play an active role in the elections and will be ambassadors for carrying poll message of CAIT to every nook and corner of the Country.
Khandelwal while commenting upon the role of traders in forthcoming elections said that after release of BJP manifesto, the traders are slowly and gradually
moving towards BJP since it has included basic fundamental and core issues of traders like formation of a National Traders Welfare Board, National Policy for Retail Trade, pension to traders, accidental insurance of Rs 10 lakh to traders and merchant credit card on the pattern of Kisan Credit Card. However, the final decision of choice of the party will be taken on April 17 by prominent trade leaders of the Country.
Since last more than three months, the CAIT is engaged in a national campaign for consolidation of trading community in a vote bank by holding meetings and conferences across the
Country including Delhi, he said, adding that besides galvanising traders, the CAIT members are actively involved in polarising employees of the traders to go along with decision of traders to cast vote in elections.
In Delhi, the CAIT which enjoys support of about 2500 trade associations who represent about 19 lakh traders across the city has given a big hype to the campaign.
So far more than 100 meetings across Delhi have been held which have drawn tremendous and enthusiastic response from traders, he added.
He further said that the trading community is highly agitated over the remarks of Congress President Rahul Gandhi who has called traders as “Chor” in recent past while addressing a rally.
Equally, the traders are disillusioned with AAP since it has not taken any care of the traders of Delhi neither ever raised burning issues of business community, he said.
Talking about issues of traders, he said sealing of shops, no loading and unloading of goods in day time, rent act, harassment of traders by municipal corporations, anomalies and disparities in Goods and Services Tax, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in retail, adverse impact of e commerce on local traders, implications of food safety and standard act, obtaining various licenses from different authorities are some of the burning issues of Delhi traders.
