Textile trader Sawarmal Budhiya and a few others organized a felicitation event of Patil, Jardosh, and other BJP leaders in the conference hall of Surat Textile market on January 3.
The Federation of Surat Textile Traders Association (FOSTTA), the apex textile traders body in Surat, is seeing a divide after a section of its members have decided to launch a protest from February 1 seeking an overhaul of the body, purportedly after a poke from BJP state president CR Patil.
Former FOSTTA president Tarachand Kasat, a textile trader, who contested municipal elections on a BJP ticket and is a member of the party, gave an application to Surat Police Commissioner Ajay Kumar Tomar on Monday seeking legal action against the current body for not holding elections and the office-bearers “staying in the same position for last 10 years”.
It was on a push from members of FOSTTA that Patil and Union minister of State for Railways and Textiles Darshana Jardosh who is from Surat, talked to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to defer the GST council plan to hike the GST on textiles to 12%.
Textile trader Sawarmal Budhiya and a few others organized a felicitation event of Patil, Jardosh, and other BJP leaders in the conference hall of Surat Textile market on January 3 where Patil reportedly told the members that although the number of textile traders was large in Surat, there was no proper election or audit.
The meeting was not attended by the president of FOSTTA Manoj Agrawal and secretary Champalal Bothra.
In a video of the meeting, Patil is heard saying, “There is no election or audit of the association (referring to FOSTTA). How will a government listen to such a body? Have an election where every member votes directly…. This time we called you as it was a big task for the nation ( the deferring of the GST). Next time this won’t happen, but I wanted you to form an organization and get it registered.
Follow rules like election and audit of the organization, for the betterment of the traders.” Patil was not available for comment on this speech.
Kasat who was in the event, said, “Patil had requested us to form a registered body elected by the textile traders.”
After the meeting, Kasat handed the application to Commissioner Tomar and District Colle-ctor Ayush Oak and requested support to change FOSTTA body.
Kat’s memorandum said, “Surat city has over 155 textile trading markets with 70,000 shops. The FOSTTA is a 45-year-old body of textile traders that has elected president and body members for a two-year term. The present president of FOSTTA and members have been holding the post for 10 years and they have not called for an election. They are misusing their positions for personal gains and have not called annual general board meetings… even no audit has been done.”
On Tuesday, Kasat handed in an application to Salabatpura police station, seeking permission to conduct dharna below the flyover bridge opposite J J Market, where the FOSTTA office is located, from February 1.
Kasat said that FOSTTA is mainly run by four members —president Manoj Agrawal, secretary Champalal Bothra, treasurer Rajesh Agrawal, and spokesperson Rangnath Sharda.
However, FOSTTA general secretary Champalal Bothra said that they have the support of presidents and secretaries of all the 155 textile markets. “They are happy with our work. We take up their issue represent it on a proper platform and bring results. There are a few former presidents and textile traders who are hungry for power and want to topple us. They have political power and other power, but we will fight from our side,” he said.
