Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 29: The ongoing indefinite strike by jewellers across the State entered twenty-eighth day today.
Large number of jewellers, swarnkars and karigars assembled at Jain Bazaar and raised slogans demanding immediate roll back of the excise duty decision announced by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his budget speech.
To express their anger and to show their future if Central Government impose one per cent excise duty on non-silver jewellery, the protesters sold fruits and other eatables by establishing reharies near the protesting site.
Hundreds of protesting jewellers later took out rally, which started from Jain Bazaar and after passing through Lakhdata Bazar, Kanak Mandi, Shahidi Chowk, Residency Road, Raghunath Bazar, City Chowk, Purani Mandi and Link Road culminated at staring point.
Addressing the gathering, Raman Suri, Chairman, Sarafa Association and Swarnkar Sangh Joint Action Committee, Jammu Province said that the protesting jewellers are law abiding citizens, but the Central Government is forcing them to turn their protest from peaceful to aggressive mode.
He added that on the one hand, Arun Jaitley is visiting Australia to bring investors from there to promote “Make in India” and on the other hand, the jewellers, who are already promoting the same by doing goldsmiths work by their hands, were being harassed unnecessarily by the Central Government over excise duty.
“By selling eatables today, we tried to awake the Government from deep slumber to take favourable decision in favour of jewellers”, he said, adding that if the Government failed to roll back its decision, the bullion traders will have to opt the business of fruits and vegetable vendors by closing down their already established jewellery trade.
Among others, who addressed the gathering were Parjan Kumar Jain, President Sarafa Association Jammu, Kulbhushan Anand, President Swarnkar Sangh Jammu District, Vijay Verma, General Secretary Sarafa Association Jammu, Ajay Vaid, General Secretary Swarnkar Sangh Jammu District, Sanjay Jain, Ajay Talla, CL Khajuria, CL Puri, Vijay Saraf, Darshan Dhalla and Rakesh Mahajan, Executive Members of Sarafa Association.
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