Peeved over BJP’s Cabinet Minister Anil Joshi’s outburst against the state government, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Friday said that Joshi should have raised the issue of traders with him. “He is my Cabinet colleague and it would have been far better if he has personally discussed this issue with me,” said Badal while responding on the tough posture adopted by local Bodies Minister in support of demands of traders.
Joshi, a day before, take on his own government on the issue of imposing advance tax on the stocks belonging to traders. Supporting the traders’ demand, Joshi gave an ultimatum to the state government announcing to lead an agitation with traders in case the government failed to withdraw the tax by Monday.
Terming it as “undue harassment to the business community”, Joshi maintained that he had repeatedly taken up the matter with Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal, but to no avail.
Taking advantage of the situation, Punjab Congress called upon the state BJP to come out of the Badal government rather than getting insulted and humiliated.
“It is not only ironic but also ridiculous that Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal, who holds the department of excise and taxation and with whom Joshi had repeatedly taken up the demand of withdrawal of advance tax imposed on the stocks held by the traders, had just refused to pay any heed. In case the BJP ministers had any self-esteem or dignity, they should quit the Badal government rather than just issuing threats of agitation,” said Punjab Congress Partap Singh Bajwa.