Aam Aadmi Party convener Arvind Kejriwal is making a concerted push to woo Gujarati businessmen. On August 5, he met industrialists from Rajkot, Jamnagar and Veraval to give five major guarantees to win their confidence for the forthcoming Gujarat Elections. He wants to make businessmen “partners in the scripting the growth story of Gujarat.” He also aims to form a consulting committee of representatives from all business sectors.
End of Raid Raaj
Kejriwal emphasised on ending the “Raid Raaj” in Gujarat. He said, “We will bring an end to Raid Raj. There will be no raids on traders. We trusted the traders in Delhi and our revenue has gone up from ₹30,000 crore to ₹70,000 crore in the last seven years. The only condition of the traders is they should not be harassed. We will do the same in Gujarat.”
Introduce Value Added Tax (VAT)
For ease of business, AAP will introduce Value Added Tax (VAT) amnesty scheme where pending refunds will be given in six months and pending dues will be foregone, he said. An advisory body will be formed comprising traders who will work in partnership with the government.
Businessmen as Allies
Instead of asking for donations, Kejriwal showed interest in making businessmen equal partners in the progress of Gujarat. He said, “I am not here to seek donations, I do not need donations. I am here to make traders and industrialists partners in the development of Gujarat. We want to end the fear that BJP has imposed on hardworking businessmen of the State.”
Revive MSMEs of Gujarat
Arvind Kejriwal claimed that the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) of Gujarat are the worst hit due to unfair government policies and corruption in the system. He said, “We want to weed out corruption in the system by way of doorstep delivery of government services and clearing VAT rebate pleas within six months. We will also simplify GST rules for ease of business.”
Promise of freebies
Aam Aadmi Party has become synonymous with freebies or “Revdi Culture”. While addressing businessmen of Saurashtra, Kejriwal again emphasised on giving free electricity, jobs and healthcare facilities to people of Gujarat. “Yeh revdi nahi, aapka haq hain. (These are not freebies, these are your rights.)”.
The Delhi CM also aims to form a consulting committee of representatives from all business sectors.
