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UP traders' bandh embarrasses BJP government

Sharat Pradhan in Lucknow

The state-wide bandh (general strike) sponsored by traders affiliated to the Bharatiya Janata Party has become a major source of embarrassment for the ruling party in Uttar Pradesh.

The trader community, the BJP's main supporters, was protesting against the Ram Prakash Gupta government's move to introduce a tax form aimed at curbing evasion of trade tax.

At an impressive rally in Lucknow, Banwari Lal Kanchal, a BJP member of the legislative council and general secretary of the UP Udyog Vyapar Pratinidhi Mandal, claimed that the strike was a complete success in a major part of the sprawling state.

But the rival traders body supported by the Samajwadi Party did not support the bandh. Though traders -- both within the BJP fold and outside -- stood divided on the bandh, they were unanimous in opposing what they termed 'anti-trader' laws of the state government.

Radhey Shyam Gupta of the rival organisation accused Kanchal of "only putting up a façade to fool the trader community". He sought to know why Kanchal had not resigned his membership of the legislative council in protest.

Apparently, while the organisation under Kanchal urged traders to keep their shutters down, another led by Sandeep Bansal under the banner of UP Yuva Vyapar Mandal, appealed to traders to oppose the strike. Bansal happens to be a close confidant of the chief minister.

The traders are demanding withdrawal of the newly introduced Form 49, reverting to the old fee for Form 31, weapons licences for all traders on a priority basis, and an annual probe into the assets of government officers engaged in dealing with traders. They also oppose any hike in power tariff.

Defending the government's move, Finance Minister Harish Chandra Srivastava and Trade Tax Minister Amarmani Tripathi asserted that the changes in the trade tax laws were made to curb the incidence of tax evasion.

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