Throwing his weight behind the agitating jewellers, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday slammed the Centre for its budgetary proposal to impose 1 per cent excise duty on non—silver jewellery, a move he described as an “assassination attempt” on small traders and workers.
Addressing a gathering of jewellers at Zaveri Bazar in south Mumbai, Rahul said: “This is not excise but an assassination attempt on small traders and workers”.
Jewellers have been agitating since March 2 demanding a rollback of proposed 1 per cent excise duty on non silver jewellery.
“It is the Government’s job to balance things in the country. The Government job is that of judge and not of lawyer...The problem before India is that the Central Government is doing job of the lawyer and not judge,” he said.
“The Government thinks that it can easily crush you (jewellers) that is why they have attacked you.... This is not excise but an assassination attempt on small traders and workers. The reality is your work is sought to be given to a handful of big companies. The seven crore workers engaged in your trade are being crushed..It is oppression of the weaker sections,” Rahul said.
Rahul assured the agitating jewellers that the Congress would raise the issue issue in Parliament.