Backing protesting jewellers, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday called the one per cent excise duty on non-silver jewellery an “assassination attempt” on traders by the BJP Government.
The scion of the Gandhi family also alleged that the Government was bringing in these measures to benefit big industrialists.
The strike by the jewellers started on March 2 this year and on Wednesday, Rahul Gandhi joined them at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.
He said that the Government’s proposal will crush small entrepreneurs in this country.
“We would stand with you for your cause. I am not here to make speeches. I feel your pain, I stand with you. It’s not your fight alone, it’s ours too. Me and the Congress party stand with you” Rahul Gandhi was quoted by IANS as saying.
The Government’s Budget proposal also states that a PAN card is essential for transactions over Rs 2 lakh.
“The idea of ‘Make In India’ is to throttle small businesses through excise. It is not excise duty, it is an attempt to crush small businesses… it will only benefit a few big businessmen,” Gandhi was quoted by IANS as saying.
