An emergency session of Punjab Assembly will be held on May 3 to give expression to what the ruling Akali Dal termed as "widespread people's outrage against the Center's disastrous move to impose wealth tax on practically all agricultural lands in the State" on the pretext of defining lands within eight kilometres of municipal or corporation towns as "urban lands". Every farmer will have to pay wealth tax in the range of Rs 30, 000.
The decision was taken at an emergency meeting of the Core Committee of SAD held on Thursday evening. Party president Sukhbir Singh Badal told Core Committee members that the party would now gear up for a "life and death battle to safeguard the interests of the farmers".
He said, "The Center's move can lead to serious and extremely alarming consequences. Center is not realising that its move can virtually kill peasantry and play havoc with the entire economy. The move affects about 80 per cent of the population and 100per cent of the country's economy directly. This must be stopped."
SAD decries wealth tax decision on agri lands, emergency session called giving details of Core Committee's decision, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal's advisor on national affairs Harcharan Bains said that the Chief Minister has convened a special meeting of the Punjab Council of Ministers on Friday morning, for the purpose.
Parkash Singh Badal is also rushing to Delhi in order to meet leaders of the national as well as regional political parties to enlist their support to the farmers' cause as according to him, the Center's decision is not only a "death blow to the already beleaguered peasantry in the country" but, would also lead to an alarming discontent and unrest across the country. He will hold a camp in Delhi for this purpose from April 30 to May 3, said Bains.
A delegation of SAD and BJP MPs, MlAs and other leaders will call on the Prime Minister to impress upon the urgency to shelve this move.
The Core Committee also decided that the party and its alliance partner - BJP would hold Statewide Dharnas at the district headquarters from 11.00 am to 1.00 pm on May 2. All ministers, senior leaders, MPs, MlAs, Zila and Circle Jathedars of the SAD as well as other office bearers of both parties will lead thousands of workers and farmers at the dharnas.