Punjab Government & Blame Game

     Punjab State ruled by Shiromini Akali Dal (SAD) and Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) alliance which enters in the fourth year of their governance. Three years of their rule BJP silently pass the time without raising any objection on to the action of its alliance partner whether it was power cut, inflation, corruption or any other differences, but now as the time is coming near for assembly elections, so party is trying everything to remain in the public mind & heart and party leaders are vocal and agitating, not missing any opportunity. Just week ago party appoints a committee to discuss and remind its alliance partner of their promises’ of adjusting increase tariffs of electricity bills plus VAT surcharge which was promise to spend on to the development of urban areas of state. Despite BJP is in power and it is their policies which effect state people directly, but BJP always looking issue to blame Central Government on to inflation, recently deregulation of Petroleum products especially petrol and soon diesel will also be deregulate from Government price control mechanism, except kerosene and L.P.G. cylinder will keep on getting subsidies, with this initiative of Central Government prices were bound to increase of petroleum products and silent BJP suddenly protests and on 1st July they agitate across state, but below code indicates in others direction who is responsible for inflation ,which is self explanatory and making mockery of their agitation –

• Electricity – Highest duty /Octroi on Electricity per unit in Punjab which is seventy paisa and it is second state after Gujarat which has seventy three paisa, but in Gujarat State consumers are getting twenty four hours power and in Punjab State to get non stop power are a dream for more then decade now of Punjab state consumers.
• Petroleum Products – Thirty three percent and half percent which is highest tax among all the states of the country on petroleum products.
• VAT- Recently Punjab Government increases VAT slab, on to the recommendation of two members committee of Sukhbir Badal & Manoranjan Kalia, from four to five percent and Vat surcharge of ten percent on to five percent VAT.

that’s not all, even ministers keep on looking way’s to increase their ministry’s revenue by revising existing tariffs / tax slabs. Just recently, as per reports, state government has make mind to increase Bus tariff from present fifty six paisa per kilometre to sixty paisa per kilometre, and Punjab state is first to increase the tariffs, but as Punjab has highest tax on petroleum products, on one hand it is busy in counting how much money government will get from price increase on other hand their transport minister immediately put additional burden on commuters and along with it comes out to protest against Central Government price increase of petroleum products, quite a confusing stuff from BJP.As per minister’s words Punjab roadways are already in lose of 600 million rupees and if prices’ not increases then it will touch the figure of 1620 million.
BJP Party is playing three angles safe but blames game-

• Protesting against Central Government price increase of petroleum products.
• First State which has taken steps to put additional burden on commuters.
• Silently allow alliance partner to do whatever they think best for their party, SAD is rural focus party, has their vote bank in rural areas of state thus they were passing on benefits /schemes at the behest of urban residents which is considered base of BJP.

For BJP not to get dent in their vote bank needs some concrete and effective steps for the benefits of urban population otherwise till date nothing satisfactory have gone in favour of urban part of state whom BJP can claim.