Punjab: Akali Dal to hold dharnas against ‘tax terror’ unleashed by AAP govt

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Tuesday announced that the party will visit every city in Punjab to expose the ‘tax terror’ unleashed by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government against small and medium traders.

Addressing a press conference here, senior Akali leader NK Sharma said party president Sukhbir Singh Badal will lead the ‘dharnas’. “We will not allow Punjabi traders to fall prey to tax terror and will not allow them to be treated like criminals,” he said.

Giving details, Sharma said that the AAP government had directed 249 ETOs of the state to conduct at least four raids every month and impose a fine of ₹8 lakh in each case. “In this way, 1,200 raids will be conducted in a year and more than ₹1,100 crore will be recovered annually,” Sharma alleged.

“In such a situation, how can anyone do business in Punjab?” Sharma asked.

The Akali leader said the new official loot of traders unleashed by the AAP government was a result of the AAP’s Delhi leadership capturing the Punjab government. “I had said that the defeat of the AAP government in Delhi was a black day for Punjab because we knew that the top leadership of the party would completely crush Punjab, and this is exactly what is happening now”, he said.