The ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Monday once again defended one per cent increase in the value added tax (VAT) on diesel.
Maintaining that Amritsar MP Capt Amarinder Singh and Punjab Congress chief Partap Bajwa were playing a war of TRPs to impress their party high command, the SAD said that this was the reason why they were misleading people on slight VAT increase on diesel.
Both are also refusing to answer allegations of corruption leveled against them by their own party men, said the SAD general secretary and core committee member Maheshinder Grewal.
Dubbing Capt Amarinder as “Non Resident Punjabi (NRP)”, Grewal said: “It is good that Amarinder Singh is back from his one-month long sojourn abroad during the course of which he also gave a one day talk….I know Amarinder must have been in a hurry to escape to Himachal hills as it is still hot in the plains and that is why he has misread my statement on the recent VAT hike.”
“I have explained in my statement that it is appropriate of the Punjab government to increase VAT on diesel by one per cent only keeping in view the State’s agrarian economy even as VAT on cold drinks and cigarettes was increased by five and 9.5 per cent respectively,” he said.
Grewal said that instead of twisting his statement, Capt Amarinder should tell the people why the price of petrol was increased by Rs 33 and that of diesel by Rs 22 during UPA rule from 2009- 2014, besides who ordered decontrol of petroleum products.
Stating that Capt Amarinder was the last person who could talk about farmer issues, Grewal said that he had discontinued free power facility for agricultural sector when he was Chief Minister.
Taking on about Partap Bajwa for “his tainted past”, Grewal said: “The less said about the Congress chief the better….Bajwa should explain to the people as to why his name has become synonymous with corrupt deeds, be it bitumen scam, Gujarat racket and the recent charges of having taken over land belonging to a village panchayat near Chandigarh.”
Responding to Bajwa’s remarks about erstwhile Sarb Hind Shiromani Akali Dal, the SAD leader said that it was a case of simple misunderstanding between two brothers — Parkash Singh Badal and Jathedar Gurcharan Singh Tohra. “Bajwa, while raking up the past, must also know that once Jathedar Tohra realized what was right, he not only mended ties with Badal but also led the party agitation when the Congress party embroiled Badal sahab in false cases,” he said.