At ‘chai pe charcha’, Navjot Sidhu targets Centre

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, January 5

Amritsar’s famous Giani Tea Stall on Cooper Road here had an unexpected guest when senior Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu visited it and held ‘chai pe charcha’ with people.

Sidhu spoke to passersby, especially the morning walkers, who stopped for an interaction with the cricketer-turned-politician. Sidhu also got selfies clicked with them.

The former minister enquired about their well-being and patiently listened to their grievances before taking on the Union Government for allegedly favouring the big corporates and “looting” the common man.

“Today, the farmers are fighting not only for their own cause but for the rights of every Indian. The farmers are the flag-bearers of our fight for rights. We must support them. How can they trust the government which could not fulfil its constitutional commitment under the GST to pay Punjab an increment of 14 per cent every year?” he said.

Citing statistics, Sidhu claimed that the total debt on the Government of India in 67 years (1947-2014) was Rs 54 lakh crore, whereas under the BJP rule, it had risen to over Rs 70 lakh crore between 2014 and 2019.

“If you divide the first amount by 67 years, the debt rose by Rs 74,000 crore annually, meaning Rs 6,200 crore per month. Since 2014, the debt has increased by approximately Rs 7 lakh crore every year, means Rs 60,000 crore every month. Consequently, they have increased the burden on the common man by 10 times,” he said.