Pls bail us out! Maya

It was called the Manchester of the East once upon a time. Kanpur, the industrial hub of Uttar Pradesh, houses thousands of small-scale industries.

And Industrialists like Atul Kumar Seth have been the most harried lot during former chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav’s rule. Seth, who runs a plastic and a pharmaceutical industry in Kanpur, says business wasn't smooth during the Mulayam raj because heavy taxes were levied by the state government. But now that the Dalit queen, Mayawati has come on the throne, Seth is hopeful that things will get better soon.

“He imposed the development tax which is not healthy for any industry. We are already suffering badly on account of central government policy. So I hope she will consider our problems,” says Seth.

Kanpur has seen the death of 5,000 small case industries in the past ten years. The crumbling infrastructure has started affecting bossiness in the city. Industrialists say only behenji, as Mayawati is popularly called, can save them.

“After I think Indira Gandhi, she is the best governor we have come across. Electricity is a big problem in UP,” says President, Soap Association Kanpur, Mickey Manchanda.

Traders also feel Mayawati will do a better job with the law and order situation. Security of the traders was never a problem during BSP regime and now also we expect a safe atmosphere,” says Industrialist, Sunil Gupta.

Out of a population of 50 lakh people, approximately 10 lakh people are associated with industries in Kanpur.

Industrialists of Kanpur say that earlier chief ministers have never interacted with the small scale industries hence Mayawati will have to ensure a regular interaction keeping in mind the fact that Kanpur cannot be ignored on the map of UP if she has to be a successful chief minister.