AAP MP Sanjay Singh sought permission from the Rajya Sabha Chairman on Thursday to raise the issue of ‘Misuse of Directorate of Enforcement (ED) by the central government’ during the zero hour. “The increasing misuse of the central investigative agency Enforcement Directorate and the one-sided action on the opposition leaders raises a question mark on the functioning of the agency. The Enforcement Directorate has registered more than 6000 cases but could prove the charge against only 5 people,” said Singh in a letter.
“Arbitrary cases are being registered by the agency against Delhi’s Health Minister Satendra Jain and opposition leaders.The increasing political abuse of central agencies is a major threat to democracy. Which needs to be discussed extensively. So please allow me to have my say on this issue during zero hour,” it further stated. Earlier on Tuesday, Singh gave an adjournment motion notice under Rule 267 to discuss the increased GST on food items and rising inflation.
“With your request, I would like to inform you that the inflation in our country is touching the new sky every day. This rising inflation has shaken the life of the common man. Despite this, the government has done the work of snatching the morsel from the mouth of every person including the poor and middle class by increasing the rates of GST,” Singh said in his notice. “Sir, today it has happened for the first time since independence that now people will have to pay 5 per cent tax on flour. The government did not spare any of the pulses, curd, lassi and rice. The government has increased the tax from 5 per cent to 8 per cent not only on food but on everything needed by the common man. Petrol and diesel prices have already broken the back of the common man, while the rupee has crossed 180 against the dollar. The government has put the economy of the country in very bad condition,” he said.
Pointing out that the AAP government in Delhi has made everything free, the Rajya Sabha MP slammed the Centre and said that the government is continuously bringing down the country’s economy to the pits for the benefit of the people. “On one hand, there is a government of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal ji in Delhi has made its budget profitable even after freeing electricity, water, education and travel, and on the other hand, it is the central government which is continuously bringing down the country’s economy to the pits for the benefit of the people. The backlash of inflation is putting the burden on the top,” he said.
“It is a matter of great surprise that on one hand, the government is looting all the money from the pockets of the poor and middle-class people and on the other hand it is waiving off the loans of few capitalists worth lakhs and crores of rupees,” Singh added. However, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said the 5 per cent tax is being levied on wheat flour and other items after nod from all states, including non-BJP ruled states.
In a series of tweets, Sitharaman said states levied sales tax or VAT on foodgrains in the pre-Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime and the present levy on cereals, pulses, flour, curd and lassi is an exercise to curb tax leakage. The GST council in its 47th meeting had recommended reconsidering the approach for the imposition of GST on specified food items like pulses, cereals, flour and other edible products.
Meanwhile, both the Houses of Parliament witnessed two adjournments over protests of opposition members on price rise. The House had seen an adjournment on the first day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament. (ANI)
(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
