CHENNAI: Veteran Congress leader and former Union minister Shashi Tharoor said that the Congress would raise the Central government’s mismanagement of Covid-19 and the economical issues plaguing the country at the upcoming parliament sessions, scheduled to start on Monday.
Tharoor was addressing media persons after visiting TNCC state headquarters, Sathyamoorthi Bhavan on Friday. He slammed the BJP-led Union government for imposing high cess on petroleum products and jacking up their prices. He said the Centre collected about Rs 4.2 lakh crore last year by way of taxes on petrol and diesel. Saying that the Centre was using the tax to fill its coffers, the parliamentarian demanded a significant reduction in taxes and cess on fuel and in the import duty on essential commodities.’
Comparing the incumbent BJP-led government at the Centre with the earlier UPA governments, Tharoor said that the UPA government collected a cess of Rs 6.45 a litre on petrol but gave Rs 3 to the states. “Now, the BJP government has dramatically raised the fuel prices but continues to give State governments the same Rs 3.” He cited the “misrule and misadministration of the economy” by the BJP government for the present crisis and dismissed the Centre’s claim of increasing international oil prices.
The Thiruvananthapuram MP said that the current inflation is not an ordinary one seen in healthy economies. There is no demand and supply of goods, and no money with people, he said. Condemning the existing GST slabs, he said that the 12 to 18 per cent GST on basic household items like toothpaste, fruits, and nuts made no sense.
He said: “The GST is an indirect tax whereas the tax on income is a direct and progressive one because the rich pay more and the poor less. But, the GST under Modi rule has become an aggressive tax regime because the poor and the rich pay the same percentage of tax, irrespective of their earning capacities.” He also demanded that the government extend financial aid to the people and the unemployed.
Tharoor said the Congress would raise issues such as the closure of MSMEs in Tamil Nadu, farmers’ agitation over the farm laws, increasing deployment of Chinese forces near the border, and the Rafale deal and Karnataka over the Mekedatu reservoir on the Cauvery river.
Later in the day, he met Chief Minister MK Stalin.
‘Spread the word about schemes’
Chennai: Publicise details about various people welfare schemes being implemented by the government to people even at the grassroots, urged Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, L Murugan. He visited Chennai for the first time after assuming charge as the Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting. The minister said even as various sectors are hit hard by the Covid-19, officials of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting should make use of social media platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter and Instagram and spread awareness on government’s schemes. He said All India Radio and Doordarshan Podhigai should air their news bulletins and programmes to carry people oriented news.