Lottery traders to show 'power' of their vote

Chennai, Feb 24 (UNI) Lottery traders in Tamil Nadu, who are fighting against the ban on lotteries, today declared their support in the forthcoming elections, to a front, which would support their cause.

Talking to newspersons here, Mr Usman Fayaz, President of the All India Federation of Lottery Trade and Allied Industries, said the six lakh lottery traders and their 25 lakh family members have decided to vote in favour of a party or front, which supported lifting of the ban.

The traders, ever since lottery was banned by the AIADMK government last year, had appealed repeatedly to the government and held a series of demonstrations to lift the ban. But the response from the government was mute.

Now that elections were round the corner, the traders have decided to use their vote as the 'trump card' to get their grievance redressed.

Mr Fayaz said the association has taken up the process of preparing a data bank to present a clear picture of constituency- wise vote bank of those engaged in lottery business and their family members to show to the political parties how important their vote would be in the elections.

He said it was unfortunate that the AIADMK government, instead of regulating the trade, had banned it, thereby rendering lakhs of people, including physically and visually handicapped jobless.

Stating that the federation had been at the forefront in offering its support, whenever the country faced a crisis, he said the lottery traders had donated Rs 20 lakhs for the construction of school buildings after the Kumbakonam school fire tragedy, in which about 96 children had perished.

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