In a meeting with Turkish businessmen who accompanied him to the Oberoi Hotel in New Delhi on Saturday evening, Erdoğan lent his ear to the problems that these businessmen operating in India are encountering.

In the same meeting, which was closed to the press, Erdoğan agreed with the businessmen's complaints about the bureaucratic oligarchy, noting that he, too, is crippled by bureaucracy even though he is the prime minister. He said solidarity

between the private sector and the government will cut down on bureaucracy.

He also made bold and assertive statements about his party's performance in the upcoming local elections in Turkey. "I have never been daunted by hardships and I will never be demoralized. I have no fears about getting more votes. If my nation decided to remove me from government, this is what I will accept readily. I will never do anything to maintain the government, and frankly, I will quit the party leadership if my party comes second in the elections," he said.

Erdoğan showed a close interest in the businessmen's complaints and wishes, and noted down the questions asked. Erdoğan mostly focused on the complaints about banks and loans that they have provided. Noting that he had previously cautioned banks about loans, Erdoğan said he informed Ersin Özince, the head of the Turkish Banks Association (TBB) and the general manager of İş Bankası, about the complaints over the banking sector's performance.


TODAY'S ZAMAN