Chandigarh, September 27
After holding an internal brain- storming session last night the BJP leadership in Punjab has decided that it will formally take up with Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal the issue of improving fiscal health of the state and how urban population - known as BJP’s traditional vote bank - was being made to bear the burden of the power tariff hike to subsidise the farm sector.
A senior leader of the BJP told The Tribune “The BJP was not against free power to the farm sector but the burden of high cost power purchase cannot be passed on to urban users." The state government has to look after every section of society and every sector of the economy, is the opinion of the BJP.
Late this evening the BJP in a terse statement said “the hike in power tariff is ill-timed, un-called for and unjustified. The state government should reconsider its decision and this proposed revision of electricity tariff should not be implemented."
Sources said BJP leaders - all cabinet ministers, former presidents, sitting MLAs and other senior leaders — have made it clear that it has to be conveyed to the alliance partner, the SAD, that the BJP has to be taken along as a partner in governance. Decisions affecting the entire state like the hike in power tariff should not be taken by the SAD on its own, said another senior leader. The power tariff hike will cripple the small and medium industries.
The BJP’s central leadership has given its go ahead to the state unit to ask the SAD to roll back the power tariff hike.
Party leaders in Punjab discussed that the method of VAT collection has been made stringent and said officials of the excise and taxation department should not be allowed to “harass” the traders.
