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Poll panel faces ire of traders

Associations of traders, builders, farmers, jewellers, showroom owners and other businessmen in Gujarat are not only seething with anger over the ECI campaign against black money but have also threatened to boycott the elections which come ahead of the 2014 national ballot-box battle and are therefore crucial for all political parties.

These trade bodies as well their apex organisations have dragged the poll panel to the Gujarat High Court over harassment of their members by seizing their cash, gold and silver in transit and are awaiting the verdict on their petitions on Monday.

Opposing the ECI ban on cash transactions over Rs250,000 and movement of precious metals by any individual or organisation, the Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) and the ASSOCHAM have also requested the Gujarat Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Anita Karwal to put the directive on hold till November 26 in view of the Diwali celebrations.

After cold cash worth Rs120 million was confiscated from different parts of the state in the last fortnight, two leading dignitaries earlier this week rushed to New Delhi to meet ECI officials and personally conveyed the general apprehension that businesses would go to rack and ruin on the eve of the festival season.

The result is that Chief Election Commissioner V S Sampath and other ECI bosses are arriving in Gujarat on Monday to look into the charges that traders were being tormented by the ECI inspectors on the pretext of keeping a tab on flow of illegal money through random checking of their vehicles.

Earlier this week, the last straw on the camel’s back came when poll officials seized 1,000 kg of unaccounted silver from a vehicle of a courier firm in Rajkot. The Rajkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry has now given a call for a shutdown on Monday which will be supported by as many as 110 associations.

The GCCI told the CEO said that a lot of money was paid to employees as bonus during the festival time which involves large-scale handling of cash by small and medium firms.

Besides, festival-specific businesses like electrical decorations and bullion transactions will be badly affected due to the ban, said the chamber, adding that the drive would hit several traders during the peak period in the absence of movement of cash.

“Karwal has denied that her squads were harassing people. On Thursday, the seizure norms were eased a bit but most of those affected are not happy.”

Well, assembly polls are to be held on December 13 and December 17 but the D-day for angry traders is Monday when many of them will down shutters and the High Court as well as the ECI will give their verdicts on the business community’s fervent appeal to stop its harassment in the guise of the anti-black money drive.

mahesh@khalejtimes.com