Cong works towards getting business community's support

Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee has been working towards bringing into its fold many communities that had moved away from it.

On Monday evening, the party held an interactive and felicitation session with the business community in a private hotel.

Senior party leaders tried to expel doubts regarding the Congress and hoped that it would take necessary action to normalize the prevailing conditions after demonetization and GST.

The leaders termed demonetization and GST as atrocious decisions of the BJP government.

P L Punia, national general secretary and Chhattisgarh state in-charge, addressed the gathering as the chief guest.

Without mentioning the 3-year tenure of former chief minister Ajit Jogi, Punia said that the business community should not punish the party for the 3-year experience and added that the Congress was with the community and will extend all necessary assistance if it forms the government.

He said that during the Manmohan Singh government the growth was 10% but the BJP government has derailed the progress and added that Congress would favourable conditions for doing business.

The party's state unit president Bhupesh Baghel said that the government would make a favourable policy for doing business.

"... The party would also declare an election manifesto which favours the growth of business in the state. The promises made would be 100% fulfilled, " he said.

Former minister and Raipur rural MLA Satyaranaryan Sharma said that the Congress has always stood with the business community and allowed it to prosper.

He assured them the favourable policy and urged them to be part of the Congress party to register protest against the anti-business policies of the BJP led Central and state governments.

It was the Congress government which ended the ‘Inspector Raj’ and ‘Sales Tax’ system, he said.

Former Union minister Dr Chandrandas Mahant said that the business community's voice would not be allowed to be crushed at any cost.

The load of taxation would be reduced. The forceful demonetization effect can be seen in form of lower growth in the economy, he said.

Industrialists and members from associations including Chhattisgarh Chamber of commerce and Industries, Mineral Association and Timber Merchants Association were present.

The community had shifted base from the Congress during the three-year tenure of first Congress government in the state headed by Ajit Jogi. The agitations of business communities were crushed which had led to a discontentment.