The Parliamentary elections this year is a lot different for the industries in Coimbatore district.
All the major candidates have met the representatives of almost all the main industrial associations and discussed the requirements of the industries, especially the MSMEs, here.
“Usually, either the candidate or a representative of the political party of the candidate for the Assembly election would meet the industry association heads and seek votes. However, this year, for an MP election, the candidates are having meetings with the industry associations,” said a foundry owner in Coimbatore.
The president of an Association said he had met three ministers and all the candidates of the main political parties. “The political parties have realised the importance of MSMEs this year. It is good for the industries. They are not just seeking votes, but discussing with us our problems. Right from Master Plan issues to GST, we are also submitting all our demands. We believe someone will take it up after the elections,” he said.
Another medium-scale engineering industry owner said that at the national-level, the MSMEs employed 12 crore people. If the family members of each worker and employee was taken into account, the MSMEs had a huge voter share. And, in districts such as Coimbatore, there were a large number of MSMEs. It was a positive sign that political parties had realised the importance of MSMEs and were holding talks with the unit owners to understand their needs, he said.
However, another micro unit owner, said it was unlikely that any of the demands presented to the candidates would be taken up by the Central or State governments after the elections. Take for instance the high power cost. The MSMEs had submitted several petitions to the government in the last six months. There was no relief, he said.
“It (the candidates and political party leaders having meetings with the industry and trade associations) is a different experience for us. This is the first time there are so many meetings. We only hope that this will lead to positive results for the development of MSMEs in Coimbatore region,” said another small-scale industrialist.
