Congress protests imposition of taxes in Punjab

Having suffered three successive humiliating defeats, the Congress in Punjab is getting into the action. The party hit the roads on Tuesday in Jalandhar to stage protest against the imposition of taxes by the Akali Dal-BJP government in the state.

The party also raked up the issue of Operation Bluestar memorial being raised in the Golden Temple Complex.

Addressing a massive protest demonstration organised here against hike in power tariff and imposition of additional surcharge on sugar and mobile handsets, state party chief Capt. Amarinder Singh said the state government was bankrupt and now it had started imposing taxes on the people for generating revenue. He said this was not the right way to generate revenues as such punitive taxes could only cripple the economy and not strengthen it.  He expressed the apprehension that the state government was planning to impose taxes to the tune of Rs 9000 cr in the coming months and warned that the Congress would not let that happen.

The Punjab Congress President also called upon the people not to pay the extra tariff with retrospective effect as it was unjustified and illegal. Lashing out at the taxes imposed on essential commodities like sugar, he said, it was wrong. The government should ideally widen the tax base by bringing in the industry which will pay taxes and not restrict it on the poor consumers.

However, he said, instead of encouraging the investments it was taking retrograde measures like building up Operation Bluestar memorial which has created doubts in the minds of people about the sincerity of this government towards maintaining peace and law and order. “Under such circumstances nobody will be ready to come and invest in Punjab”, he said.

The PCC President also questioned the sincerity of the Akali-government in providing free power to farmers. He pointed out, for the namesake the farmers are being provided free electricity but actually they are not getting any electricity and they have to spend huge money, on an average Rs 8000 per acre to operate motors for irrigation.