If traders keep shops closed, MNS will open them: Raj

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray on Sunday warned traders against closing their establishments and said his party workers would open shops if traders remained adamant. “Traders have been on strike, creating a problem for the common man. The traders’ association must open all shops. If they don’t, we will do it,” Thackeray said.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray on Sunday warned traders against closing their establishments and said his party workers would open shops if traders remained adamant. “Traders have been on strike, creating a problem for the common man. The traders’ association must open all shops. If they don’t, we will do it,” Thackeray said.

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The MNS chief issued the statement even as wholesale traders, represented by the Federation of Associations of Maharashtra (FAM), said they would resume their strike from Wednesday. In Pune, the association of gold traders has decided to stay shut shutters even on Monday, at the cost of losing business on Akshaya Tritiya.

Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, who has been facing flak from traders, the Opposition, the NCP and, more importantly, a section of Congress leaders, held a meeting on Sunday to defend LBT.

Following this, the Congress has decided to initiate a public awareness campaign on LBT, which will have a political colour – it will blame the saffron combine for needling the traders to agitate, at the cost of the layperson.

“The CM gave us information on how LBT has been good for the 20-odd civic bodies in state where it has been implemented. There is a political lobby led by the BJP and Shiv Sena that is provoking the traders,” said Janardan Chandurkar, Mumbai Congress unit chief. “We will campaign against the strike.”

“We don’t want to contradict what Raj Thackeray has said,” said Mohan Gurnani, president, FAM, adding that they would meet him to express their stand.