The Hindu : Other States / Punjab News : Chautala corners Congress leaders on VAT

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Saturday, Jul 10, 2004

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Other States - Punjab

Chautala corners Congress leaders on VAT

By Rajesh Ahuja

CHANDIGARH, J ULY 9 .The Haryana Chief Minister and Indian National Lok Dal supremo, Om Prakash Chautala, seems to have mastered the art of deriving political mileage out of simple events against his political rivals.

The Chief Minister has launched yet another attack on the Congress in the State using the Union Budget presented by the Finance Minister, P.Chidambaram, as a tool.

While harping on the fact that the Finance Minister commended the State Government for the successful implementation of VAT and in the light of the Haryana experience asked other States to follow suit, Mr.Chautala has put the State Congress leaders, who had bitterly opposed VAT, in the dock and put them in a moral dilemma.

Talking to mediapersons at Kurukshetra, the Chief Minister asserted that the ball now was in the court of Congress leaders who would have to "resolve the contradiction arising out of Mr. Chidambaram's wholesome praise for Haryana''.

Mr.Chautala is now harping on the dichotomy in the stand of the Congress leaders on the issue. He says that the Congress in the State had sought mandate from the people during the recently-held Lok Sabha elections by launching a "malicious propaganda'' against this system. "With the

Central leadership of the Congress adopting the INLD line on the issue, the dual face of the Congress now stands exposed'' and the Congress leaders should either "resign'' or give an "assurance that they would continue to oppose VAT even now.''

Expressing hope that the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, would give a new and progressive direction to the economy, Mr.Chautala appreciated the "initial steps'' proposed in the budget for the agricultural sector. However, he expressed apprehension about the negative impact on the States because of the

increase in the service tax and cess imposed on a number of items. He recalled that Haryana was a leading State in the collection of cess imposed upon petrol and so on during the NDA rule and yet the Centre had failed to give it its due share. Such taxes, he asserted: "have tried to help the `BIMARU' (sick) states at the cost of the progressive and financially and administratively well-managed states''.

He remarked rather bluntly that his past experience with the Centre does not "inspire much confidence.'' He asserts that the Centrally-sponsored

Swa Jal Dhara scheme, where the people had deposited 10 per cent of the required money, had failed to be a success in the absence of promised central assistance.

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