Angered by the BJP-led Central Government’s decision to tax Kolkata Durga Pujas, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has asked the women’s wing of her party Trinamool Congress to stage a dharna againstthe Income Tax authorities who have reportedly served notices on anumber of Durga Puja committees.
Tweeting against the central decision to tax the Puja committeesBanerjee has said that “the festivals are for all and we do not wantany Pujo festival to be taxed,” wondering why the political parties that spend huge amount of money in the elections should not be taxed.
“This is an insult to the Pujas ... what about the money spent by political parties on elections? Many parties have tax have tax relief. Why shouldn’t the Pujas have income tax relief? What is the income of Puja committees? They take donations from the people. They take ads (advertisements) and sponsors from companies who have paid GST,” Banerjee said reminding how her Government had withdrawn all taxes from religious festivals like Ganga Sagar Mela.
“These festivals are for all and we do not want any pujo festival to be taxed. This will be a burden on the organizers. Govt withdrew tax, which was earlier there, on Ganga Sagar Mela. We protest and demand ‘no taxation on Durga pujo and Durga pujo committees.”
Durga Puja is the biggest festival for the Bengalis with crores of people taking part in it, she said adding the Government should have given dew consideration to such facts. Out of 28,000 Durga Pujas in the State about 2,200 Pujas are organized in Kolkata.
Out of them about 25 Puja committees have a budget of more than Rs 50 lakh and the rest spend just about 15 lakh or so, she said wondering whether the Government should bring all these committees in tax net.
Amid reports of a lot of chit fund money had gone into organizing Durga Pujas the IT officials had earlier issued notices and summoned several Durga Puja organizers — an act the TMC promptly read as one aimed at pressuring the local clubs, having influence on booth-level voters to bend towards the BJP.
Banerjee has directed party women’s wing Banga Janani to sit on a dawn-to-dusk dharna on August 13 at Raja Subodh Mallik Square.
“Organisers, participants and all people who love Bangla may please join,” she said.