The Madurai District Tiny and Small Scale Industries Association, the Tamil Nadu Foodgrains Merchants Association and 36 other small bodies in the district have called for a dawn-to-dusk bandh on Tuesday (September 30) to express their dismay over the arrest and conviction of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa by a special court in Bangalore in a corruption case.
After a meeting of trade outfit representatives here on Monday, MADITSSIA president V.S. Manimaran said that Ms. Jayalalithaa had taken a number of steps since she assumed office in 2011, due to which the industry experienced uninterrupted power last year.
Similarly, the efforts to introduce multinational corporations in retail business by the then UPA government were vehemently opposed by Ms. Jayalalithaa, which came as a big relief for trade outfits in Tamil Nadu.
Similarly, the ambitious plans for small and medium enterprises through Vision 2023 gave a fillip to the small and tiny units across the State. When such was the situation, the judgement against Ms. Jayalalithaa dashed hopes of the trade and industry sector in Tamil Nadu. Hence, she must emerge out of the ‘crisis’, prove her innocence and again serve the State as Chief Minister, Mr. Manimaran said.
Likewise, the Tamil Nadu Foodgrains Merchants Association, in a press release, said along with their members, the textile merchants association, grocery merchants, paddy merchants, Madurai coffee, tea merchants, Madurai district Hotel Owners’ Association, Madurai Jewellers and Bullion Merchants Association, biscuit manufacturers, Madurai Stainless Steel Manufacturers’ Association, Madurai Rice Mill Owners’ Association, Periyar Bus Stand Shopping Complex Association and Madurai Spare Parts Dealers’ Association among others would join the strike.
A senior official in the district administration said that all steps had been taken to ensure there was no untoward incident. “We can assure all that common man would not be hit as buses would ply, banks would function and all other government institutions would be open as usual,” he noted.