The President of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Sukhbir Singh Badal, criticized Punjab’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government for increasing VAT on petrol and diesel and burdening the common man and farmers with extra costs. Badal expressed his disappointment about the rise in fuel prices, making petrol and diesel the most expensive in the region. He demanded an immediate withdrawal of the arbitrary increase and urged the government to reduce spending on advertising and publicity gimmicks instead of causing misery to the people. Badal also criticized the government for severely reducing social welfare benefits, including Old Age Pension Scheme, Aata-Daal scheme, Shagun scheme, and SC Scholarship scheme, as well as ending the free cycles for girls scheme, Teerath Yatra scheme, free utensils scheme, gyms, Suvidha Kendras and Sewa Kendras.
According to Badal, the government is presenting a duplicitous nature by taxing the people with extra charges above and beyond the benefits extended to them. He claimed that the government says one thing to the public but does another thing, causing misery to the people. Badal attended the bhog ceremony of Harmeet Singh Sandhu’s father Surjit Singh Sandhu in Tarn Taran and expressed his views on the matter. The SAD President emphasized that the government must stop increasing VAT on fuel repeatedly, and it should focus on relieving people’s burden by reducing unnecessary spending to balance its finances.
