PC promises no wealth tax on ‘urban’ farmland
THUMBS DOWN Say it will only add to the woes of peasants whose mainstay is agriculture
CHANDIGARH: Stealing a march on rival parties, Congress leaders from Punjab, Haryana and other states on Monday extracted an assurance from union finance minister P Chidambaram that no wealth tax would be imposed on agricultural land.
The development dashed hopes of the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in Punjab and opposition Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) in Haryana to make political capital from the Centre’s move to amend the Wealth Tax Act to redesign contours of its imposition on farmland.
The SAD-BJP government in Punjab has already convened a special session of the assembly on May 3 to discuss the issue and pass a resolution in the House. The INLD had on Saturday demanded convening of a special session of the Haryana assembly.
Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal had written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, warning that there could be “a conflagration of social disorder, anarchy and economic crisis” in the event of wealth tax being
CONG LEADERS FROM PUNJAB, HARYANA AND OTHER STATES MEET AND ‘CONVINCE’ CHIDAMBARAM ON ISSUE
levied on agricultural land. Badal had also sought the finance minister’s intervention on the issue.
Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who led a Congress delegation of union ministers, MPs and MLAs from Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Odisha and Delhi that met Chidambaram in New Delhi, said: “The finance minister has assured that he will make a statement on the floor of Parliament on Tuesday while replying to the finance bill and no wealth tax will be imposed on agricultural land, whether within municipal limits or outside.” He said Chidambaram would speak to quell any misunderstanding on the issue.
MOGA: The residents of Kokri Kalan and eight other villages are opposing the government move to declare their villages a nagar panchayat.
The villagers met on Monday and announced that if state government didn’t stop the process immediately, they would start an agitation against the move. The villagers of Chugawan, Matwani, Kokri Phoola Singh, Kili Chalan and Nathuwala were also present on this occasion. People raised slogans against the Shiromani Akali DalBharatiya Janata Party government and burnt an effigy of the government.
Addressing the gathering, Sukhdev Singh Kokra Kalan, state general secretary of Bhartiya Kisan Union ( EktaUgrahan), said that more than 65% people are dependent on agriculture and others are labourers. “The residents of eight other villages, which will be part of the proposed nagar panchayat, too earn their livelihoods from agriculture. Why is the government hell- bent to declare Kokri Kalan a nagar panchayat? The SAD-BJP government trying to befool people in this regard,” he added.
The farmer leader further said the BKU had decided to launch a movement against the proposed wealth tax on farmers and the Punjab government policies soon. “The proposed wealth tax will be levied on farmers whose land falls within eight kilometres of the municipal limits in the country. Every farmer within the prescribed limits would have to pay an annual tax ranging from Rs 30,000 to Rs 70,000 per acre. Now, the Punjab government is aggressively going ahead with creating nagar panchayats, which will add to farmers’ woes,” he said.
He alleged that the Congress- led UPA government’s policies were meant for corporate houses, while the poor and middle class sections of society were suffering. He alleged that the economic policies of the UPA government had been a big failure. “On the other hand, the Punjab government is also playing a joke on farmers and other downtrodden sections of society. The chief minister, Parkash Singh Badal and deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, are good only for capitalists, while the poor people are forced to agitate for their basic rights,” said Kokri Kalan.
After the protest, the villagers held a meeting and decided to meet the senior officials of the district administration on May 6. Senior leaders of various organisations Bachan Singh Bhinder Khurad, Mahinder Singh Kishanpura, Malkit Singh Lohgarh and Gurdeep Singh Ajitwal also spoke on the occasion.