Twin blows of note ban, GST have hurt Surat, says Rahul
AHMEDABAD: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said Surat, which had potential to challenge China in growth, had lost its pace after the twin blows of demonetisation and GST rollout.
Observing ‘Black Day’ in Gujarat’s industrial hub on the first anniversary of the government’s decision to scrap ₹500 and ₹1,000 notes, Gandhi tried to reach out to textile and diamond workers by visiting factories and retail markets before meeting industrialists in the evening.
“Our competition is with China. Either India gets employment or it goes to China. Surat, which has potential to challenge China’s growth, has received a big blow due to demonetisation and Goods and Services Tax (GST),’’ said Gandhi.
He added, “People here are being threatened to stop them from voicing the truth. Police is trying to suppress them. Yahaan pe logon ne mujhe bataya ki Surat ki taang tod di gayee hai (Surat’s legs have been broken).”
In a bid to understand the various aspects of industries, Gandhi tried his hand at diamond polishing, got behind a power loom machine, took a tour inside a saree printing unit and spoke to female embroidery workers.
Surat, with five lakh workers in diamond polishing units and 10 lakh workers in textile units , has been hit by the Narendra Modi government’s back-to-back economic reforms.
The Congress has decided to cash in on the resentment by focusing on the twin issues for the upcoming December 9 and 14 assembly elections.
While the grand old party staged demonstrations across the state in support of its Black Day call, the BJP marked Wednesday as ‘anti-black money’ day.
BJP chief Amit Shah participated in a signature campaign in favour of demonetisation after offering prayers at Somnath temple. Shah and Union minister Piyush Goel also met Surat industrialists on Tuesday evening to discuss Gst-related issues.