Property tax: Two Congress leaders speak in two voices

“Be good citizens and contribute to the development and pay property tax because it is the most affordable tax imposed ever and we all should pay it,” Ashu told Newsline when asked why he was absent from the protest staged by the Congress at the MC headquarters on Monday.

Indirectly pointing the finger at Congress district president Pawan Dewan and his supporters,he said,“People sitting on dharna need to understand that property tax imposed by government is genuine and there is a need to adjust. Opposition is not meant to oppose always.”

However,Congress district president Pawan Dewan,a close aide of Ludhiana MP Manish Tewari,along with MLAs Rakesh Pandey and Surinder Dawar staged protest at the MC headquarters.

Accompanied by Hemraj Aggarwal,leader of opposition in the MC house,Dewan said that “people need not accept these dictatorial orders of SAD-BJP government and should not make any payments”.

“Once we come to power,we are going to roll back the decision,” he added.

Dewan told Newsline that the “protest will now continue at ward level and from next week onwards every ward will be sensitised against property tax and high charges of regularisation impsed by government”.

He regretted that the state government had not even exempted houses from 50 to 100 feet,in which poor people resided. Likewise,introducing property tax on vacant plots and private schools was totally illegal,he added.

He said they understood that the state government was facing financial crunch but it did not mean that financial burden should be put on the common man.

Other senior leaders missing from the scene were Malkit Singh Dakha,district president rural,and Malkit Singh Birmi,who fought the Assembly election from Atam Nagar constituency but lost to the SAD candidate.

While Dakha clarified that he was out for some other meeting and sent his supporters to join the protest,Birmi did not respond to calls despite repeated attempts. At a meeting of Sanjha Morcha held on Monday,attended by partymen from the CPI,CPI (M) and PPP,it was decided to organise a mass rally against property tax and regularisation charges imposed by the state government. “A mass rally will be held in front of mini-secretariat on October 10,” said Kartar Singh,secretary,CPI.

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