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Congress opposes levying of Rs. 4500 crores fresh taxes, as Punjab has the highest rate of inflation in the country

CHANDIGARH, July 31:

As stated above congress will oppose tooth and nail any move on the part of SAD-BJP govt. to impose fresh taxes to the tune of Rs. 4500 crores. The people of Punjab are already bearing the brunt of highest rate of inflation in the country owing to double taxing by the state govt

As we are aware, Punjab has the highest rate of VAT on petrol i.e. 12.5%, which makes petrol 5-8 rupees costlier than other states. Only recently Punjab hiked the power tariff by 12.8 % and has also imposed 5% VAT on sugar in the state. Such steps have not only further added to the woes of the people but has pushed inflation even higher making Punjab the most expensive state to live in.

By proposing to increase the retirement age from 58 years to 60 years, the govt. would further aggravate the issue of unemployment. It would not only frustrate the youth but would give boost to drugs and crime in the state.
Congress also lambasts and condemns the double facetted policy of the SAD-BJP combine, as only recently they held ‘Dharna’s’ in Punjab on the issue of price rise and inflation. It is like “running with the hare and hunting with the hound”, they oppose increase in petrol prices but never reduce 12.5% VAT on it. Is it not befooling and hoodwinking the people?
The move to impose Rs. 4500 crores fresh taxes now is nothing but misleading the people and elected representatives, as they should have placed these proposals before the recently concluded Budget session of Vidhan Sabha. Similarly the SAD-BJP govt. preferred to purposely delay these proposals to keep the Dasuya voters in the dark to win the by-election.
To sum it up, the congress would not allow the govt. to indulge in back door entry, opportunism and back stabbing of the people of Punjab and thus would oppose any fresh tax to be levied.
1.     Patrap Singh Bajwa,MP
2.     Sukhpal Singh Khaira, Ex-MLA
3.     Navtej Singh Cheema, MLA
4.     Smt. Aruna Chaudhary, MLA
5.      Bharat Bhushan, MLA
6.      Jasbir Singh Dimpa, Ex-MLA
7.     Raman Bhalla, Ex-Minister

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Congress opposes proposed professional tax in Punjab

CHANDIGARH, July 26: Punjab Congress today strongly opposed the government proposal to impose tax on the professionals like the doctors, engineers, architects and lawyers in the state. The party said, the government appears to be so desperate about money that it has now decided to levy taxes on the service professionals also.

Referring to the professional tax proposal mooted by the state government Punjab Congress general secretary Arvind Khanna said, the tax was clearly aimed at targeting the urban people whether on job or self employed.

Moreover, he pointed out, it has been aimed at including all the professionals even with as small an annual earning as Rs one lakhs. He said, this means someone earning just Rs 8500 a month will now need to pay the professional tax in Punjab which is disgusting and unacceptable.

Khanna said, most of the professionals the state government plans to target already come under the service tax levied by the central excise department. This will mean double taxation on poor professionals, he regretted while hoping that better sense prevails among the powers that be and they do not go ahead with the move.

The Congress general secretary hoped that better sense prevails at least among the BJP leadership to save the professionals from this additional tax burden which will be over and above the income tax and the service tax they will already be paying. 

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Capt Amarinder expresses condolences to Gautambir

JALLANDHAR, July 24: Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President Capt Amarinder Singh today personally expressed his condolences to upcoming party leader Gautambir over the sad and untimely death of his father who expired recently.

Capt Amarinder, who was in the town today, personally spoke to Gautambir and spent some time with him to share his grief over the tragic death. Assuring him of all the support, the PCC President said, entire rank and file of the party stood by Gautambir over

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Capt Amarinder lists vendetta cases from Majithia, Dera Baba Nanak

JALLANDHAR, July 24: Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President Capt Amarinder Singh today presented before the media the victims of the Akali and police vendetta from the assembly segments of Majithia and Dera Baba Nanak and asked the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal whether he needed more proof.
While one was a rape victim, another happens to be the Block Congress president Majithia who has been slapped with 16 criminal cases.
Among those presented before the media included a young woman from Pakiwan village in tehsil and district Gurdaspur falling under Kalanaur police station who had been raped by two youths on the night of July 15. The two youths Pargat Singh and Sandeep Singh are close relatives of Akali leaders and that is why the police is not taking any action against them, the PCC President said.
The victims were accompanied by the local MLA Sukhjinder Randhawa. He said, first the police even refused to entertain the complaint of the victim. But after lot of pressure although the police did register and FIR but they are not arresting the youth and they were roaming free.
Capt Amarinder asked Mr Badal whether this was his Ram Rajya he had been gloating about in the assembly and across the state where women can be raped at will by the Akali leaders’ kin.
Another victim of the police vendetta was from Majithia assembly segment. Accompanied by senior party leader Lali Majithia, Balwinder Singh Marri Kalan said that just because of being in the Congress the Revenue minister Bikram Majithia had got 16 cases registered against him.
Besides, his wife, who is a sarpanch has been declared a proclaimed offender. One of the cases registered against Balwinder is that of vehicle theft in Fazilka. He said, he was again being threatened to be implicated in yet another case in Gurdaspur if he did not resign from the Congress.
Lali Majithia said, even his brother Jadwinder and his son Akashdeep, who is the youth Congress president of Majithia assembly segment have been booked for attempt to murder. He disclosed that the police have adopted a unique way of implicating the Congress workers and supporters. They register a case against several unidentified persons and then name the Congress workers subsequently. He said, “it was state terror prevailing everywhere in Majithia against the Congress workers”.
The PCC President said, the next protest demonstration will be held in Majithia against the police excesses and atrocities by the Akali-BJP government. He said, this government was turning out to be the most autocratic and authoritarian  one, unleashing terror on its own people.

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Massive protest demonstration by Congress against taxes, power tariff hike

·         SAD-BJP plans Rs 9000 crore taxes in coming months
·         Says Rs 800 cr central assistance must be given to farmers only
·         Bluestar memorial will only discourage investors

JALLANDHAR, July 24: Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President Capt Amarinder Singh today said that the cash starved Punjab government was planning to impose taxes to the tune of Rs nine thousand crores on the state in the coming months and warned that the Congress will not let that happen.
Addressing a massive protest demonstration organised here today to protest the exorbitant hike in power tariff and imposition of additional surcharge on sugar and mobile handsets,  Capt Amarinder said, the state government was bankrupt and now it had started imposing taxes on the people for generating revenue. He said, this was not the right way to generate revenues as such punitive taxes can only cripple the economy and not stregthen it.
Led by the PCC President Capt Amarinder Singh, thousnads of Congress workers from across the state today staged a massive demonstration against the exorbitant hike in the power tariff and impositon of extra VAT on sugar and mobile handsets.
The PCC President said, today was only the beginning and a warning to the Akali-BJP governemtn in the state which was planning to impose more taxes to the tune of Rs 9000 crore in coming couple of months.
The Punjab Congress President also called upon the people not to pay the extra tariff with retrospective effect as it was unjustified and illegal.
The demonstration was held outside the Deputy Commissioner’s office. Thousands of Congress workers including the MPs, sitting and former legislators and former ministers joined the protest dharna which concluded after the address of the PCC President.
Condeming the state government for its exorbitant hike in power tariff and that too retrospectively, he said, it was not only unjustified and illegal and asked the people not to pay the bills for the past months. “Even if you have to raise the tariff you cannot raise it retrospectively as it is illegal”, he asserted.
Lashing out at the taxes imposed on essential commodities like sugar, he said, it was wrong. The governmetn should ideally widen the tax base by bringing in the industry which will pay taxe and not restrict it on the poor consumers.
However, he said, instead of encouraging the investments it was taking retrograde measures like building up Operation Bluestar memorial which has created doubts in the minds of people about the sincerity of this governmetn towards maintaining peace and law and order. “Under such circumstances nobody will be ready to come and invest in Punjab”, he said.
The PCC President also questioned the sincerity of the Akali government in providing free power to farmers. He pointed out, for the namesake the farmers are being provided free electricity but actually they are not getting any electricity and they have to spend huge money, on an average Rs 8000 per acre to operate motors for irrigation.
Capt Amarinder said, the state government must make a public commitment that the special assistance of Rs 800 crores sought from the government for the farmers relief is provided to farmers only and is not diverted for other purposes as is the habit with this government.
Prominent among those who attended the dharna included the PCC vice presidents Rana KP Singh, Chaudhry Jagjit, Kewal Dhillon, Ashwani Sekhri, general secretaries Arvind Khanna, Rana Gurjit, Kikki Dhillon, Fateh Jang Bajwa, Anandpur Sahbi MP Ravneet Bittu, senior leaders Aruna Chaudhry, OP Soni, Jagmohan Singh Kang, Sukhjinder Randhawa, Sangat Singh Giljian, Rajneesh Bubby, Joginder Singh Panjgraian, Ajaib Singh Bhatti Gurkirat Kotli, Hardayal Kambhog, Sunder Shyam Malhotra and others.
All the party MLAs and district presidents from across the state attended the dharna. There were few who could not make it to dharna for various reasons and they had conveyed their inabilty to attend to the PCC President. 

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Productive, not punitive taxation can revive economy; Capt Amarinder


Congress dharna on July 24

CHANDIGARH, July 22: Lashing out at the Akali-BJP government in the state for imposing punitive taxes on the people of Punjab, the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President Capt Amarinder Singh today said that this was not going to help the state’s economy in anyway but will rather damage it further. “Only productive and not punitive taxation can revive the economy”, he remarked.
The PCC President also announced statewide agitation programme against the punitive taxation beginning July 24 from Jallandhar, which will be attended by all the MPs, MLAs, district presidents and all those who contested the assembly and the recent municipal elections.
Referring to the massive plans of the state government to impose heavy taxes, besides already having imposed extra VAT and duty on sugar and mobile phones as also increasing electricity tariff, he said, such punitive taxation only derails economy and discourages investment.
Capt Amarinder said, if the government is really sincere about reviving the economy it should generate resources by getting investment and industry which can contribute by way of taxes and not by robbing the poor people with heavy taxes on the things required for day to day survival like sugar.
The former Chief Minister asserted that no matter how many taxes the government imposes it was not going to help the economy in anyway. The massive gap between the revenue and expenditure cannot be filled by extorting money from people through punitive taxation, but making the economy vibrant, he pointed out.
“The state needs productive taxation but this government is imposing punitive taxation which will not serve any purpose”, he remarked, while adding, this will only lead to more corruption and even lesser revenues thus pushing the economy further down the drain.

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Capt Amarinder congratulates Mr Mukherjee, Ms Gandhi

CHANDIGARH, July 22: Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President Capt Amarinder Singh today congratulated Mr Pranab Mukherjee for being elected the thirteenth President of India with an impressive margin.
He also hailed the leadership of the Congress President and the United Progressive Alliance Chairperson Ms Sonia Gandhi, saying this was the endorsement of her decision and policies that Mr Mukherjee had been elected with such a thumping margin.
Capt Amarinder said, it was really a great privilege for the country to have a President like Mr Pranab Mukherjee who besides being a seasoned statesman is a highly learned and erudite scholar as well.
He said, with Mr Mukherjee being the President of the country, the prestige and dignity of the Republic will further grow up and will make everybody feel proud about it.

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Capt Amarinder hails Rahul’s greater role in party, government

CHANDIGARH, July 19: Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President Capt Amarinder Singh today hailed the decision of the Congress to give bigger role to the party general secretary Mr Rahul Gandhi. “This is the much awaited moment for the nation in general and the youth in particular as they identified directly with him”, he said, about Mr Gandhi being given number two position in the party.

In a statement issued here today, Capt Amarinder said, this is the moment country has been waiting for a long time and the wait was finally over. “This is the right time for Rahul Gandhi to assume a proactive role both in the government and the party”, Capt Amarinder said, while adding, the youth of the country are looking forward towards his leadership.

The former Punjab Chief Minister said, Mr Gandhi has cultivated himself for the bigger role he will be taking in the party and the government. “We all know that he could have assumed this role much before but he waited and watched and came forward only when he was sure that he can perform the role well”, the PCC President observed.

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Arvind Khanna indisposed could not cast vote

CHANDIGARH, July 19: Punjab Congress general secretary today said that he could not cast his vote as he was indisposed due to food poisoning which restricted him to bed.

Khanna in a statement issued today said, he informed the high command representative and coordinator for Punjab for the Presidential poll Mr Yogesh Sawhney about his illness.

He said, although he had been advised strict bed rest he wanted to cast his vote, but was suggested not to go against the doctor’s advice.   

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Harminder Gill appointed PCC Secretary

CHANDIGARH, July 17:

Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President Capt Amarinder Singh has appointed Harminder Gill a young and dynamic leader from Patti as the secretary of the Punjab Pradesh COngress Committee.
Wishing him good luck, Capt Amarinder said, the sincerity and hardwork Gill has been doing will certainly help in strengthening the party further. He said, Gill was being appointed secretary in recognition of his untiring work for the party and the workers in his area. 
Capt Amarinder said, he had a promising future in the Congress. 

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Mr Chidambaram to raise Congress workers’ victimization with Mr Badal

CHANDIGARH, July 13: The Union Home Minister Mr P Chidambaram today said that he will raise the issue of the reports of victimization and the police atrocities on the Congress workers with the Punjab Chief Minister Mr Parkash Singh Badal.

He also expressed surprise over the non existence of the Police Complaints Authority in the state although Punjab government has been claiming to have already set up it.

Mr Chidambaram was addressing the concern of the Punjab Congress leaders particularly the Congress Legislative Party leader Mr Sunil Jakhar and the PCC vice president Mr Ashwani Sekhri about certain specific cases of police atrocities and high handedness towards the Congress workers.

Mr Sekhri raised the specific issue of the custodial killing of a Congress worker Pargat Singh in Batala assembly segment. He said, Pargat was picked up by the police just to create fear psychosis among the Congress workers. He said, he was brutally beaten up which led to his death inside the police station only.

The PCC vice president told Mr Chidambaram that instead of booking the concerned SHO, the police tried to falsely implicate another Congress worker in the murder. He said, it took a lot of protest from him and his supporters to finally make the police admit that Pargat had died in police custody.

Intervening on the issue, Mr Jakhar said, whenever the Congress leaders tried to raise the issue with the Chief Minister he was just laughing it off and making fun of them. He said, the case quoted by Mr Sekhri was not an isolated one but just an example.

The Congress leaders sought Home Minister’s urgent attention to stop the Akali-BJP government from harassing and intimidating the Congress workers. “They want to create a fear among the Congress workers so that they desert the party”, they told Mr Chidambaram.

The Congress leaders also suggested that all the central grants which come to the state should be equitably distributed and there distribution should be strictly monitored. Otherwise, they complained, all these grants are allocated to the areas represented by the ruling alliance and the Congress represented areas get ignored.

Mr Chidambaram was accompanied by other two union ministers Mr Pawan Kumar Bansal and Ms Ambika Soni. They had specially come to listen to the problems and grievances of the party workers from Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh.

Earlier welcoming Mr Chidambaram, the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President Capt Amarinder said, it was a matter of great satisfaction that the party President Ms Sonia Gandhi has been insisting upon the central ministers to ensure that they visit the party offices in whichever state they go.

He said, such visits will boost the morale of the party cadres as they will be able to list their grievances to the central ministers as the state government was totally victimizing them.

The Congress Legislative Party leader Mr Sunil Jakhar thanked Mr Chidambaram for his visit to the Punjab Congress Bhawan and hoped that the issues raised by the Congress leaders will be properly addressed.