Surat: The Federation of Gujarat Weaver’s Welfare Association (FOGWA) has locked horns with the Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SGCCI) and the Ved Road weaver’s association for allegedly defaming the association in public domain for holding demonstration against Union textile minister Smriti Irani during her recent visit to the Diamond City on September 21.
FOGWA has lodged complaints with the charity commissioner and registrar of the cooperative societies in Gandhinagar seeking cancellation of the registration of both SGCCI and Ved Road Art Silk Small Cooperative Federation Limited for defaming the government recognized association through newspaper advertisements and social media propaganda for carrying out demonstration for the rights of power loom weavers.
FOGWA office-bearers led by its president Ashok Jirawala had demonstrated at the Surat International Exhibition and Convention Centre (SIECC), Sarsana, where Irani had visited to inaugurate Source India-2018 textile exhibition on September 21. Jirawala and nine other leaders were detained by the police for showing black flags and shouting slogans against the minister and the NDA-government.
The power loom weavers were protesting against the central government notification stating that the accumulated credit under input tax cedit (ITC) will ‘lapse’ and weavers won’t be able to utilize the credit any more.
Talking to TOI, FOGWA president said, “FOGWA is a government recognized association spearheading about 35 weavers association in the city. The SGCCI and Ved Road weavers association had left no stone unturned to defame the association for protesting against the minister. FOGWA is the voice of weavers and we will continue to protest anti-weaver policy.”
Jirawala added, “We have demanded that the registration of SGCCI and Ved Road weavers association should be cancelled for defaming FOGWA in public domain. The Ved Road weavers association had given newspaper advertisements defaming FOGWA on September 22.”
Talking to TOI, SGCCI president Hetal Mehta said, “We are working for the benefit of the industry in Surat and South Gujarat and we are the oldest chamber in the state. We know how to work and how to act. Until now, so many amendments and actions have been taken by the respective central and state governments on the representations made by the chamber.”
