A 62-year-old marketing executive, an art teacher and a businessman – watch these people from Gujarat tell us what will define their vote this election.
‘No Communal Riots Have Taken Place in Gujarat Since 2002': 62-Year-Old Marketing Executive
For 62-year-old Kamlesh Shah of Ahmedabad, PM Narendra Modi's "daring and powerful" nature as well as the "disciplined" government would decide his vote in the upcoming elections.
“I have seen 30 years of Congress. What happened in Gujarat? There were so many riots under the Congress government. And since 2002, there has not been a single communal riot in Gujarat.”
Shah, who claims to be a marketing executive, takes exception to the Modi government being called a dictatorship. "It is a disciplined government," he says, as he goes on to compare Modi to a father-figure in a family whom everyone should listen to.
‘The Study of Gujarati Language is Being Sidelined in Schools’: 25-Year-Old Art Teacher
Being an art teacher in a school in Rajkot, and a writer, 25-year-old Akanksha Chauhan says that not enough attention is being paid to the teaching of Gujarati in schools.
Students don’t have a deep knowledge of the language. So, it is difficult for them to get into the field of Gujarati literature and become writers. We have given a lot of importance to English, and pushed the study of Gujarati to the side.
She indicates how a situation like this has led many Gujarati writers like her to give up their aspirations.
I won’t vote for a party because it has been in power for long. I’ll look at the capabilities of opposition parties and what they have to offer.
‘GST Should be Simplified’: 52-Year-Old Businessman
For 52-year-old Surat businessman Devendra Jain, development as well as GST and note ban are the most important issues in the run-up to the elections.
Caste is not an issue for businessmen. And I believe in equality of all religions. We just want development and simplification of GST.
Though claiming that all traders in Gujarat are angry because of GST, he stops short of absolutely criticising the BJP, saying that the party has carried out good development work.
GST returns should be simplified... Right now, even the government authorities don’t have any proper answers to our queries.
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