UTTAR PRADESH Udyog Vyapar Pratinidhi Mandal leader Banwari Lal Kanchhal accused the Union Government of hatching a conspiracy to displace small and marginal traders by inviting multinationals in the name of foreign direct investment.
Talking to the mediapesons at Sigra here on Sunday, he warned the Union government that the Mandal would not tolerate “anti-people economic policies” and would speed up its stir. “We recently staged demonstrations at the tehsil level throughout the State on January 15 followed by demonstration at each district headquarters on January 17. We are waiting for a reply from the Union government for a dialogue in this connection.” “If our demand for withdrawal of FDI in retail trading is not met in the Union budget in February, we will launch a nationwide stir to mount pressure on the government.
About VAT, he said, the Mandal, in association with the UP Government, would not let it be implemented in the State.
States like Delhi, Maharashtra, Gujarat and West Bengal, which implemented VAT, had experienced price hike and a fall in State’s revenue, while UP had registered a revenue growth of 23 per cent in the current financial year, he said.
{{/usCountry}}States like Delhi, Maharashtra, Gujarat and West Bengal, which implemented VAT, had experienced price hike and a fall in State’s revenue, while UP had registered a revenue growth of 23 per cent in the current financial year, he said.
{{/usCountry}}Expressing anguish over the death of a trader in the custody of trade tax officials in Varanasi recently, he said it was administrative harassment just for Rs 14,000.
“I will talk to the CM to get errant officials punished for the incident. Besides, the CM will be urged to give compensation to family members of trader.”
Kanchhal demanded abolition of ‘tehbazari fees’ for vendors in the State.
“It will cause a loss of Rs 101 crore to the State exchequer, but will suggest alternatives to the government to make up the loss.”
He said Ribu Srivastava had been appointed state general secretary of the UP Mahila Udoyg Vyapar Pratinidhi Mandal, Madhu Kushwahas was the district president.