LS polls: In Hathras hing market, neglect, discontent dominate discourse
Hathras (UP) (PTI): Before one arrives at Hathras' famed 'hing' (asafoetida) market, the pungent smell of the condiment greets visitors, almost pinpointing the place.
As one gets to the market, a scene of disrepair takes over - roads riddled with potholes and littered with debris, and congested lanes dotted with dilapidated houses.
For local traders and residents, these are physical manifestations of the government's "neglect" that mirror broader systemic challenges.
Hathras hing received the coveted Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2023 but it appears to have done little for the local traders, who are seeking change and accountability in this Lok Sabha election.
"Our leaders need to focus on improving our living conditions instead of engaging in empty rhetoric," said hing trader Rohit Upadhyay.
Pritish Jindal, a shopkeeper, said, "We contribute significantly to the local economy and yet we are burdened with excessive taxes and receive little in return in terms of infrastructure or support."
Some feel bogged down by the "soaring" GST rates.
"This is the biggest hing market in the world. Hing brought from Iran and Iraq is processed here and the market is known for this process worldwide. Despite the significant business here, we feel ignored when it comes to key issues like inflation, unemployment and infrastructure. The Goods and Services Tax (GST) has devastated our trade," said Lalit Vashney, another hing trader.
"The soaring GST rates are suffocating our businesses. Profit margins are shrinking, making it increasingly challenging to sustain our livelihoods," said another trader Ramesh Gupta.
The GST rate for hing is 18 per cent.
According to the local trade union, India imported 1,500 tonnes of asafoetida milk worth Rs 940 crore last year.
Ranging from Rs 100 per kg to Rs 35,000 per kg, about 90 per cent of hing is sourced from Afghanistan, 8 per cent from Uzbekistan and 2 per cent from Iran, according to the union.
Hathras goes to polls in the third round of Lok Sabha polls on May 7. The western Uttar Pradesh constituency will see a direct fight between the BJP and the SP.
While the BJP has fielded state minister Anoop Pradhan Balmiki from the seat, the SP has fielded Jasveer Valmiki.
"The BJP has fielded a state minister from here. Aware of the weak competition from the opposition, they are not coming here to address our grievances," claimed a local trader who did not wish to be named.
Reviving Hathras' economic hubs is one of the issues on Valmiki's poll agenda.
"The neglect of our markets is a symptom of larger governance failures," the SP candidate said.
"If elected, I will prioritise infrastructure development and advocate for tax relief to bolster our local businesses," he said.
On the other hand, Balmiki's campaign so far has been focused on the progress made at the national level under the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government.
Votes for all seven phases of Lok Sabha elections will be counted on June 4. Irrespective of who loses, the traders hope they will win this time.
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Cong's Surat candidate whose nomination form was rejected resurfaces, says party betrayed him
Surat (PTI): Suspended Congress leader Nilesh Kumbhani, whose nomination form was rejected over discrepancies leading to BJP winning the Surat Lok Sabha seat in Gujarat unopposed, resurfaced on Saturday after 20 days and alleged it was the grand old party that had betrayed him first in 2017.
Kumbhani said he was silent all these days because of his respect for state party president Shaktisinh Gohil and the party's Rajkot Lok Sabha candidate Paresh Dhanani.
"Congress leaders are accusing me of betrayal. However, it was the Congress which betrayed me first in the 2017 assembly elections when my ticket for Kamrej Assembly seat in Surat was cancelled at the last moment. It was the Congress which made the first mistake, not me," Kumbhani told reporters here.
"I did not want to do this but my supporters, office staff and workers were upset because the party is being run by five self-proclaimed leaders in Surat and they neither work nor allow others to work. Though AAP and Congress are part of INDIA alliance, these leaders raised objections when I used to campaign with AAP leaders here," he claimed.
Asked if the turn of events in the ongoing Lok Sabha poll was his revenge on the Congress, Kumbhani refused to give a direct reply and reiterated his charge about cancellation of ticket in the 2017 state polls.
Kumbhani, who had earlier served as a Congress corporator in the Surat Municipal Corporation, fought the 2022 assembly polls from Kamrej but lost to the BJP.
On April 21, Kumbhani's nomination form was rejected after his three proposers submitted affidavits to the district returning officer claiming they had not signed on the document.
Incidentally, the nomination form of the Congress' substitute candidate Suresh Padsala was also rejected, ending the party's presence in the fray.
On April 22, BJP's Mukesh Dalal was declared elected unopposed from Surat after all other candidates, including one from the BSP, withdrew their nominations.
Due to a pre-poll alliance with Congress, the AAP had not fielded its candidate from Surat.
Kumbhani had gone incommunicado since April 22. He was later suspended by the Congress, which blamed him for the rejection of the nomination form and also accused him of "connivance with the BJP".
Lok Sabha polls were held in a single phase in Gujarat on May 7. Results for 25 out of the state's 26 seats will be declared on June 4.
