Traders call off strike after chief minister's assurance

BHOPAL: The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) and the Hotel and Restaurant Association, Bhopal, have decided to call off their three-day bandh from Thursday after an 'assurance' from chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan that the disputed Food Security Act would not be implemented in the state anytime soon.
Naveen Sujwani, spokesperson of Hotel and Restaurant Association, told TOI, "Our representatives met the chief minister during the day.He has assured us that the Act, which was to come into effect from August 5 this year, would not be implemented soon."
He added, "We also had a talk with Member of Parliament Sushma Swaraj who assured us that the day Lok Sabha resumes (April 25), all the BJP MPs from Madhya Pradesh would take up the issue of the Act and press for amendments."
At the Chief Minister's behest, the rally which was supposed to be taken out from MP Nagar Zone I on Wednesday was cancelled.
In the evening, CAIT members and other traders' association also had a meeting at Gurubakhsha ki Talleya, Ram Mandir along with MP Kailash Joshi and Vishwas Sarang where it was decided that the bandh would be discontinued from Thursday.
Day three of the bandh was mixed as some small shops were open. According to the members of the traders' association, the bandh was 80% successful in the state.
The Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) has lambasted the state government for shedding 'crocodile tears' over the issue. The Food Safety and Security Act would ensure healthy and unadulterated food products to the people, but issues related to the health of the people do not seem to bother the chief minister, a Congress release said on Wednesday.