Election 2019: People want better communication from next government

The Mumbai Metro construction, GST implementation and demonestisation have left many religious and trading communities disappointed and helpless in the last five years, their representatives claim

Better communication is what certain communities, who have felt sidelined in the last five years, expect from the new government. From the beef ban to demonetisation, the NDA government has made several big decisions resulting in inconvenience for certain communities and groups across the country.

The ban on the sale of beef imposed in 2015 had left beef traders across the country in huge losses. Mohammed Ali Qureshi, president of the Bombay Suburban Beef Dealers Association, said that the decision was followed by a wave of attacks on Muslims suspected of either storing meat or transporting cattle for slaughter, especially across Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

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The government, he said, had made the announcement without any warning or buffer time for traders to look for alternatives. "People suffered even though there was no fault of beef eaters or beef sellers and the government refused to listen to our pleas. Regardless of the outcome of the Lok Sabha elections, it is unlikely that the beef ban will be reversed. But we hope that at least the government will put an end to violence," he said.

Another affected group was Mumbai's Parsi community with the Metro project. Noshir Dadrawala, one of the trustees of the Bombay Parsi Panchayat, said that even though the Metro tunnels have now already been constructed under the two Atash Behrams, the community hopes that the new government would be more sensitive towards the sentiments of minority communities.

Environmentalists fought to prevent the Metro Car Shed from being constructed in Aarey Colony, while residents of SV Road fought for the Metro 2B line to run underground. Stalin D, member of the Aarey Conservation Group, said, "This is not how a democracy functions. They need to involve people who will be affected while implementing projects. We hope that the next government re-orients policies to protect the environment," he said.

'Govt in a hurry'

The Coastal Road project too received similar opposition from the fishermen community over concerns of losing their livelihood and from residents of Breach Candy over environmental concerns. Harishchandra Nakhwa, president of the Worli Fishermen Society, said that while everyone has made promises, none of the political parties are willing to give any of it in writing. "The government didn't take us into confidence before planning out the project and didn't stop to consider how it will affect the fishing activity. We expect the next government to make a separate ministry for the fishing community instead of including it in the agriculture department," he said.

Rahul Kadri, a resident of Cuffe Parade and an architect and urban planner, said that the current government has been in a hurry to implement projects. "We need the government to be rational and comprehensive in their planning. They need to have an open dialogue with people," said Kadri.

Hope for inclusion

On November 8, 2016, the government announced the demonetisation of R500 and R1,000 notes. What followed was a mad rush to the ATMs and banks across the country to deposit the invalid notes. The ones without a bank account were worst hit. Less than a year later, the government introduced the GST replacing all indirect taxes and was aimed at improving tax compliance. The new tax, however, didn't work as well for smaller businesses. Abdul Malik, a member of the Dharavi Business Welfare Association, said, "The traders in the recycling business are not educated enough to figure out their tax payments and can't afford an accountant. Our hopes are tied to the next government to revoke GST and help small businesses recover. We hope that the government doesn't discriminate against the poor or certain religions while making policy decisions," he said.

Madhav Bhandari, BJP spokesperson said that the government has to be secretive while making certain decision and it was not possible to make them out in the public. "Expecting more communication from the government is a positive thing and it means that people are in tune with the government. We will have to catch this positive wave and work on it. We have already taken certain measures at the government and at the party level. We will work on it further," he said.

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