Patiala: AAP protests against power tariff hike

Bhagwant Mann said that the Congress government in the state has failed on every front and people are fed up with such anti-people policies within six months of forming the government. (File Photo)  

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Friday organised a dharna outside the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) head office in Patiala to protest against power taiff hike by 9.33 per cent. AAP state president Bhagwant Mann, Leader of Opposition in Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Sukhpal Singh Khaira, state co-president Aman Arora, other MLAs and office bearers were also present during the dharna. Former Leader of Opposition, HS Phoolka, was conspicuous by his absence. He has lately been staying away from all party events after he gave up the post of LoP.

Addressing the gathering, Bhagwant Mann said that the Congress government in the state has failed on every front and people are fed up with such anti-people policies within six months of forming the government. Mann said that rather than waiving off farmers’ debt, the Congress government is only concerned about the benefit of its own leaders. He said the state government has forgotten the promises it had made to the people during the election campaign.

Meanwhile, Khaira targetted Captain Amarinder Singh for “fleecing the people of Punjab” through steep electricity tariff hike, increase in market committee and rural development fees, backdoor taxes on entertainment and professionals and the proposed merger of 800 government primary schools in the state. Khaira said the government has embarked upon a path to teach its own people a lesson by burdening them severely with multiple taxes. He said that instead of fulfilling its promise to give relief to industry by offering them Rs 5 per unit, the government has now burdened all sectors like domestic, commercial as well as industry. He added that the hike comes at a time when people are facing increasing inflation, slow growth rate and recession.

“It is saddening to note that the government hasn’t spared even the poorest of the poor by increasing the power tariff. And the worst part is that the hike has been implemented with retrospective effect i.e. April 1, 2017, something never mentioned by the government during the budget session held in June,” he said.

Addressing AAP workers gathered at the dharna, Aman Arora said that the government has recently increased the market committee and rural development fees from 1 per cent to 3 per cent to mop up Rs 900 crore, which will further burden the farmers who are committing suicides in large numbers. The AAP leaders urged Captain Amarinder Singh to immediately roll back the electricity tariff hike and other taxations to save people from the burden of inflation.