The decision of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) to call for an ‘emergency’ assembly session on the issue of imposing wealth tax on farmland is being interpreted as a strategic move to outsmart the Congress.
Just over a fortnight before the scheduled date for holding the Panchayat elections in Punjab, the SAD-led state government has decided to call an emergency session on May 3 — the day the State Election Commission will issue the notification for elections to 22 Zila Parishads and 145 Panchayat Samitis.
The party has also decided to carryout statewide demonstrations, dharnas, on May 2, besides garnering the support from all Opposition parties at the Centre on the issue.
“This is not the issue pertaining to Punjab, but also the entire country. We are opposing wealth tax tooth and nail. We will create a public mandate in whole Punjab and fight till the last against Central Government’s anti-people and anti-farmer decision. We will compel the Centre to roll back all the decision affecting farmers of Punjab,” said senior Akali leader and chief spokesperson Prof Prem Singh Chandumajra.
He added that the party has decided to hold state level protest on May 2 at all district headquarters’, which would be a “step forward to create a general mandate against the policy”.
What's more, the party is also in the process of shooting off written communiqués to all the MPs, including that of the Congress too, seeking their support to oppose the implementation of wealth tax on farming community across the nation.
“We are writing letters to all the MPs…yes including those from the Congress too…asking them to join us and oppose the wealth tax. We also also in touch with all the parties, and have already held talks with the BJP national president Rajnath Singh, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, and also senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley, among others regarding the issue. This is a national issue concerning all parties,” SAD spokesperson, and Akali MlA Daljeet Singh Cheema told The Pioneer.
Chief Minister and SAD patron Parkash Singh Badal has urged all the regional and national parties to rise above political divide “to save the bread-winner of the country”. He also warned of a “grave social disorder as a consequence of this decision”.
In addition, Badal along with his deputy and SAD president Sukhbir Badal would also lead a delegation to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to urge him to withdraw the government’s decision in this regard and not to push forward with the proposed amendments in the Finance Bill.
SAD’s move to call an emergency session, however, was being dubbed by the Opposition and the critics of the government as nothing, but a political stunt. Moreover, the decision to hold cabinet meeting for convening the session came just the same day after the Punjab Congress MPs met the Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram demanding withdrawal of wealth tax.
Sensing trouble, the SAD took a well calculated and a ‘rare’ step to convene the Punjab Vidhan Sabha session — to discuss the “extremely dangerous and critical situation”.
“The Parliament is in session and the SAD-BJP leadership could easily take up the issue there. In any case, already, we are also opposing the move, and have take up the issue the Finance Minister. No useful purpose other than passing a resolution would be served by holding this one-day session,” a senior Congress leader said.
The proposed Amendment Bill, under consideration, is likely to be moved in the Parliament on May 6. As per the amendment, all types of agricultural land within the fixed parameters will be treated as urban land and be subject to wealth tax at the rate of one per cent of the collector rates.
The preliminary estimation revealed that no less than 80 per cent of cultivable land would come within the tax range, as the land falling within the aerial radius of eight kilometers of municipal limits will be covered under the tax.
In case, the wealth tax is implemented, the border area farmers will have to pay a minimum tax of Rs 30,000 per acre annually, while where land price are higher, the tax will shoot up to Rs one lakh per acre yearly.
Equating imposition of wealth tax with “death warrant” for Punjab’s distressed peasantry, the state Cabinet, that met on Friday in an exigency meeting with single-point agenda, also passed the resolution rejecting the “anti-farmers decision”. The resolution also impressed upon the Centre that agricultural land should be kept out of the jurisdiction of this tax.
If this is not all, Chief Minister and SAD patron Parkash Singh Badal has, reciprocally, termed the Congress’ MPs meeting with the Finance Minister over the issue as “mere formality”.
“They are hardly concerned over getting this matter resolved. The Congress has imposed this tax just to ruin the economy of the state and now the Congress leaders are trying to cover up the matter by such gimmicks,” added Badal.
The SAD and the Congress are up the ante over the issue of wealth tax in the wake of ensuing elections to Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samitis. Both the parties are making efforts to woo the major vote bank — the farmers — which will be directly affected by the decision, as they cannot afford to loose their support too.