Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi will today meet the protesting jewellers who are demanding withdrawal of excise duty on jewellery.
The representatives of jewellers associations from across the country have been holding a protest at Jantar Mantar against the excise duty imposed in the Union Budget 2016-17.
Rahul had earlier met with the jewellers on March 11.
Jewellers and bullion traders in several parts of the country, including Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, have kept down shutters for over a month now.
The Congress Vice President will meet the protesting jewellers at Jantar Mantar here today, party leaders said.
Vice-president of the All India Sarafa Association Surinder Kumar Jain said the industry has been losing business due to ongoing indefinite strike, and workers including artisans involved in the trade have the "crisis of bread and butter now".
Jewellery manufacturers are likely to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to demand rollback of the budgetary proposal.
"We have a meeting with the Prime Minister on Wednesday. The time is yet to be finalised," said Rahul Gupta, CEO of PP Jewellers.
Gupta is also the Vice-Chairman of Export Promotion Council for EoUs and SEZs.
The Centre has already constituted a panel under former chief economic advisor Ashok Lahiri to look into the demands of jewellers.
The sub-committee, which has been asked to submit its report in 60 days, will look into issues related to the compliance procedure for the excise duty, including records to be maintained, forms to be filled, operating procedures and other relevant aspects.
The government, in the Budget for 2016-17, had proposed one per cent excise duty on jewellery without input credit or 12.5 per cent with input tax credit on jewellery excluding silver other than those studded with diamonds and precious stones.
"They dislodged elected governments in Arunachal Pradesh
and Uttarakhand. They broke law and they keep on breaking it.
"This is a democratic country. It belongs to everyone and not to a single person. And we will fight for democracy, for the poor, farmers, labourers, youth and women," Rahul said.
Attacking the 'Make in India' programme, the Congress leader said that Modi promised to give jobs to over two crore youths every year, but the pet initiative of the Prime Minister has been able to give jobs to only 1.3 lakh people.
"Modiji had said he would give employment to the youth. We saw the Make in India programme on television and internet. It was widely discussed and there was a mega show in Mumbai.
"How many people got employment last year? Modiji said he will give employment to two crore youth every year. Only 1.3 lakh people got employment in India last year, which means, the Make in India has given jobs to only 350 youth every day," Rahul said.
He also attacked the BJP over the law in some states that prohibits those who have not passed Class X exams from contesting local bodies polls and said, by this action, doors of democracy are being closed for dalits and women.
"In different areas of the country they say if anyone is not a Class X pass they he cannot contest panchayati elections. What is the outcome? Lakhs of Dalits and women are not getting a chance to contest polls. Doors of democracy are being closed on them. But Modiji does not want to speak a single word," Rahul said.
