AAP MPs stage protest against inflation and GST rates on essential items

Ludhiana, July 21, 2022: On the fourth day of the Parliament’s Monsoon Session today, the AAP MPs Raghav Chadha, Sanjay Singh, Sanjeev Arora and Sushil Gupta held a protest against inflation and GST rates hike near the Gandhi statue in Parliament. They also strongly protested against the Union government for ignoring Punjab while constituting the committee for recommending Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops.

Protesting MPs were holding play cards in their hands, which were carrying slogans “punjab de kisanan da haq ethe rakh”, “msp di committee kharij karo” and “msp di guarantee lai ke rahange”. They were also shouting slogans as a mark of the protest.

MP Sanjeev Arora said inflation and recent GST rates hike have put an acute additional burden on the common person. He added it seems that the Modi government is totally ignoring the interest of common people. He added inflation is touching newer heights day-by-day and if it is not checked right now the situation will deteriorate further. “If everything goes on like this then the days are not far away when India will have to face a Sri Lanka like situation”, he added.  

Arora said he and other AAP MPs have strongly urged the Centre to immediately check inflation and withdraw recent hikes in rates of GST in the larger interest of people and the country as well otherwise the economy of the country will shatter badly.

He added it is a discriminatory move of the Centre that it has ignored Punjab while constituting the committee for recommending MSP for crops whereas it is a hard fact that Punjab is an agrarian state. “The Centre cannot ignore interests of the Punjab farmers who have contributed a major share in the central pool and have brought green revolution in the past”, he said, adding that it is a matter of concern that the Centre is not fulfilling its promises made to the farmers at the time of ending farmers agitation in the recent past.        

Adding, he said in-fact, the BJP led NDA government does not want to give a platform to farmers of the state to express their views. He said he and other party MPs are of the opinion that this dictatorial attitude of the Centre is unacceptable and unwarranted as without Punjab farmers the committee does not have any relevance. He said the Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann has rightly stated that “without the state’s representation the committee will be like a ‘body without soul’.”

Arora and other MPs were of the opinion that the need of the hour is that the Centre must include elected representatives from Punjab & farmers in the committee so that their interests can be safeguarded. They said it will not be incorrect to say that the committee formed by the Centre is “anti-farmer” and violates the principles of federalism through non -representation of States, especially Punjab. They said the Centre should not forget that Punjab is called the food bowl of India and by not allowing representation to Punjab in the committee clearly indicates that the government is not serious about legal guarantees for MSP.