Sold veggies, polished shoes, these jewellers will work in fields now!
Our Correspondent
Mandi Ahmedgarh, April 3
From selling vegetables to clearing ear wax and polishing shoes, the goldsmiths and jewellers have done everything to show resentment and grab the attention of the administration in connection with the Union government’s alleged indifference towards their demand to withdraw the decision to impose 1 per cent excise duty on gold and diamond jewellery.
The activists of the local unit of Swarankar Association left no stone unturned in grabbing the administration’s attention. The protesters chose to undertake harvesting work as a symbolic mean and mode to awaken the government from deep slumber, but in vain.
They said the income generated by working at fields of their customer farmers would be used for the union members who have been sitting on dharna at the Sarafa Bazar for the past four weeks.
Led by president Pawan Verma, Balwinder Verma, Happy and Ashok Verma, the protesting activists of the outfit visited various villages, including Pohir, Khera, Latala, Chhapar and Barundi, in search of agricultural chores including harvesting shifting of harvested crop to grain markets and helping agricultural labour engaged in manual harvesting.
They wore black patkas as a token of protest during the visits to various villages.
They have been simulating various vocations and odd jobs to express their resentment by posing to leave the profession and adopt the simulated vocation as their main profession.
Earlier, the union activists had simulated selling of vegetables, clearing of ear wax; shoe polishing, rickshaw pulling and auto rickshaw driving to draw attention of the administration and the Union government. They sent packets of ear buds and hearing aides to the higher authorities in the Centre.
Office-bearers and activists of the outfit lamented that it was probably for the first time in the history of the largest democratic country that the Finance Minister had refused to give even a sympathetic hearing to the peacefully protesting community of jewellers and goldsmiths who had been on strike for past four weeks.
“Contrary to the tall claims being made by BJP leaders led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi about their concern for the business community, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley was bent on testing our patience by insisting on levying excise duty on ornaments manufactured by us and not paying any heed to our demand,” said the office-bearers and activists of the outfit.
