Two days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to inaugurate an international textile event in Gujarat, the state’s textile traders and clothes merchants observed bandh on the second consecutive day on Wednesday against ‘imposition’ of Goods and Services Tax (GST) nationally from July 1.
While Gujarat is set to host Textile India 2017 in Gandhinagar from June 30 to July 3, these traders commenced their three-day bandh on Tuesday protesting against the levy of 5% GST on textiles Demanding its roll-back, clothes merchants warned to intensify stir and extend their bandh indefinitely after June 29 if their demand was not met.
Around two lakh textile and clothes merchants across major markets like Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Surat and Bhavnagar joined the strike by closing down their shutters as these markets wore deserted looks. They also took out protest rallies at various places.
A delegation of these merchants also met former Chief Minister Anandiben Patel who assured them to apprise the PM of their demands.
But this strike has worried the State Government which is leaving no stone unturned to make the Textile India 2017 a success. Both Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and his deputy Nitin Patel have, over the last couple of days, tried to diffuse the crisis.
Around 1,500 exhibitors and 20,000 participants, including 2,500 foreign buyers and sellers, had registered for the event, being organized by the Union Ministries of Textile and Commerce in association with textile export promotion councils.