Piyush Goyal courts traders, business community in Malad, Kandivali

Flanked by incumbent MP Gopal Shetty and MLA Atul Bhathkalkar, Goyal’s speeches at all three locations mainly revolved around Modi

Mumbai: Diamond traders from Pushpa Nagar in Malad (E), party workers from Ashok Nagar, and retail shopkeepers with their families in Thakur Complex in Kandivali (E). Piyush Goyal, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate for Mumbai North, had a field day during his meet-and-greets with local citizens on April 22.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Piyush Goyal meets diamond merchants at a market in Malad, Mumbai's northwest constituency. (Raju Shinde/HT Photo)

Flanked by incumbent MP Gopal Shetty and MLA Atul Bhathkalkar, Goyal’s speeches at all three locations mainly revolved around Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the current government’s achievements.

In Malad’s Diamond Market area, the union minister of commerce and industry started his speech in Gujarati and spoke about how taxes paid by citizens, businesspersons and traders have given a boost to Mumbai with infrastructure projects, be it the metro rail or the Atal Setu. The diamond traders also lauded the Centre for improving the ease of business in the last few years.

Along with an entourage of BJP workers on bikes and in cars, Goyal later went to Kandivali East, where he inaugurated a party office. “Itne log jama karna kitni mushkil baat hai (It’s so difficult to gather so many people). This is a peak time of the day for businesses,” he said, while also appreciating the valuable contribution made by the business community.

“India stands fifth in the world GDP rankings and Modiji’s third term will take India to third rank,” said Goyal, before lambasting the previous Congress-led government for not doing much for the business community.