GUWAHATI, Nov 17 - Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has said the recent decision of the Central government to levy 0.5 Swachh Bharat cess on taxable services has dealt a severe blow to the common man.
In a statement here today, Chief Minister Gogoi said that the present dispensation at the Centre in the name of economic reforms has adopted anti-people policies. �Instead of imposing taxes on the common man to mobilise funds for Swachh Bharat campaign, it would have been wiser to involve the people actively through other ways to make the campaign a success,� he said.
�With the aim of capturing power, the Modi-led government made plenty of promises to the people never to be fulfilled. The prices of essential commodities have been spiralling out of control, hitting the common man hard,� he said.
Gogoi said that the common man is yet to see the dawning of acche din promised by the BJP-led government and instead undergoing days of misery and hardship. �The present dispensation is hell bent on making the lives of common man more miserable and making lives of the rich and affluent rosier. Acche din is not for the aam aadmi but for the rich and affluent,� he added.
The Chief Minister wondered how India can shine if the common man lives in abject poverty. �The anti-poor policy has created a chasm between the government and the people. If the plight of the common man remains pitiable, how can India�s image among the comity of nations ascend?� Gogoi quipped.
Gogoi said that the BJP had to bite the dust in the Bihar elections only because of its anti-people policies. �The humiliating defeats the BJP suffered in Delhi and Bihar elections have failed to open its eyes and the recent hike in prices of essential commodities is a pointer,� he added.
The Chief Minister further said that petrol and diesel prices have soared despite fall in their prices in international markets. �The Central government has failed to keep a tight leash on the prices of petrol and diesel despite fall in their prices in international markets,� he added.
