Cong-led govt in Himachal harassing people by imposing cess: State BJP chief

Shimla, Sep 27 (IANS) Himachal Pradesh BJP President Rajiv Bindal on Saturday said on one hand, the Central government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi “is working to provide relief to the people while on the other the Congress-led state government has been harassing the people for the past three years”.

He said during the Congress rule in the state 10 types of cess “are being imposed on the public”.

“Ever since the state government came to power, it has increased VAT on diesel by Rs 7.50, increasing the burden on the common man by Rs 10,000 crore. Additional tax on cement has been raised from Rs 7.50 to Rs 16.

“Water bills were hiked significantly, stamp duty was increased, water bills in rural areas were charged Rs 100 per month, electricity bills were hiked by 46 per cent, and a fee of Rs 10 was imposed on hospital prescriptions. On the other hand, the Modi government brought about a major reform in GST, providing relief of Rs 2 lakh crore to the public,” said former Cabinet minister Bindal.

Praising Prime Minister Modi, he said self-reliant India and Swadeshi are the Prime Minister's mantra.

Comparing the Congress and the BJP, he said “in 2014 there were 1,000 startups in India. Now, there are 160,000. Each startup employs 40 people. Previously, 98 per cent of mobile phones were imported from other countries. Now, 98 per cent are manufactured in India, including the iPhone. In the defence sector, our exports have increased from $686 crore to $23,622 crore. Under PM Modi's rule, India has become a $7.3 trillion economy, placing us fourth in the world”.

“Today, remarkable work is being done in India on destination weddings, Indian tourism, Bharat Darshan, Sanskrit heritage, yoga, and astronomy. This is only possible because Prime Minister Modi delivers what he says and knows how to translate his ideas into action. The magic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi continues to work in the country today,” said the state BJP chief.

--IANS

vg/pgh