9-day textile trade bandh ends

HYDERABAD: Telugu Desam president N Chandrababu Naidu has assured textile traders that the 5 per cent value added tax on textiles will be rolled back if his party is voted to power.“We will include it in our manifesto if the government does not accept the demand of textile traders,” Naidu said at a dharna by textile traders at here.The nine-day textile bandh ended on Tuesday. Naidu said that no other state imposed 5 per cent VAT on textiles. Ministers were speaking in different voices on VAT and the Kiran Reddy government was not considering the just demand of traders and weavers, Naidu alleged.“The VAT on clothes will burden 2.5 lakh shops and around 20 lakh persons depend on the industry. No new textile industry will come to the state if the government imposes VAT on textiles. Moreover, new industries will be shifted to other states. The government should see the danger and stop sucking the blood of the people in the name of taxes.’’On the arrest of IAS officer BP Acharya, the leader of the opposition said the officer had won several awards during the TDP rule.“Now the same officer, as home secretary, landed in jail in Congress rule,” Naidu said.