Shadow Correspondent
Jammu, Mar, 02
Accusing the govt of failure to control inflationary tendencies and the steep rise in prices of Petrol, Diesel, LPG besides imposing property tax on the people, scores of Panther activists led by Mr. Harsh Dev Singh Chairman-JKNPP and Mr. Yash Paul Kundal State President Young Panthers staged a thundering protest demonstration at Exhibition Ground in Jammu today. Infuriated over the sharp rise in prices of fuel, LPG, imposition of Property Tax in J&K, the protestors raised slogans of “Hum Do Hamare Do, Diesel 90 Petrol 100”, “Jab se BJP sarkaar ayee, kamar todh mehangayi layee”, “BJP ka ek hi sapna, Ram Ram japna, paraya maal apna”, “Property Tax wapis lo”.
Speaking to media, Mr. Harsh Dev Singh said that with hefty excise duty on fuel already levied, the addition of new farm cess had sky rocketed the petrol price to Rs.100/- per litre. And with the petrol and diesel becoming dearer, the price of domestic LPG cylinder had further soared by Rs 25 to hit Rs. 845 per cylinder. The bizarre hike in price of fuel and gas has added to the woes of the common masses, Harsh rued. Regretting that the common man’s life had become miserable in view of essential services and goods getting beyond his reach, he pointed out that there had been frequent surges in the prices of onions, tomatoes etc during the BJP rule which had rendered the popular vegetables beyond the reach of people. “We cannot forget the appalling price of onions reaching up to Rs. 100 per kg under Saffron rule at times and even Rs. 150 per kg in certain states only to leave common masses ‘teary-eyed’. The astounding rates of groceries including dairies, cereals, pulses and edible oils have also broken the spine of common man. With LPG, diesel, petrol already being costlier, the soaring prices of staple food has shattered the budget of a common household with housewives left hapless to arrange kitchen fire”, lamented Harsh. He said that inflation had become a benchmark of BJP’s governance and looting people by burning holes in their pockets has become synonymous with Saffron party.
Flaying the obnoxious decision of the Govt to impose property tax on lands and buildings of late in J&K, Mr. Singh divulged that it was going to levy another obnoxious tax on the people to ramp up organized loot and institutionalized plunder of public money. “Imposition of Toll Tax followed by Property Tax would further aggravate the brewing anger of the people to catastrophic rage. How could the govt impose Property Tax to put extra burden on public in a fragile environment of J&K where the economy has plunged to abysmally low? Moreover the COVID-19 outbreak has hit all lines of business severely.
People are under enormous distress. Border dwellers are facing the wrath of skirmishes. Farmers have suffered huge loss of crops and cattle stock due to incessant rains and landslides.
Unemployment has soared in almost every household. Where from people will pay the Property Tax? J&K needs stimulus packages and not the extortion of taxes”, said Harsh.
Mr. Yash Paul Kundal said that the GoI had failed to bring the dwindling economy back on rails. “BJP which was voted to power in the country and the state had failed to realize its grandiloquent promise of good governance, development, employment opportunities, literacy, poverty alleviation, etc and was only indulging in rabble rousing and hollow rants for vote bank politics”, said Kundal.
NPP leaders called upon LG of J&K to review the decision to impose new Property Tax regime and cautioned MHA to revoke the obnoxious order otherwise it would only trigger public revulsion and force them to come on roads to agitate.
“Panthers party shall vigorously oppose any move that is anti-people. We will expose the BJP govt for its duplicity, deceit and betrayals,” they asserted. The Panther leaders also exerted the GoI to immediately come with the measures to control inflation of petro and agri-products to provide relief to the common man against the spiralling prices of essential commodities.
