Commentary/Rajiv Shukla

How to pay your power charges through your grocery bills

Parkash Singh Badal's decision to provide free electricity and canal water for irrigation will prove disastrous not only for Punjab, but for the entire nation. He has also promised to waive land revenue and abolish octroi. Why do these politicians stoop so low to woo voters?

A chief minister should not be allowed to take such cheap popular steps without the permission of Planning Commission of India. And if any chief minister violates the commission's directive, his government should be charged under Article 356 of the Constitution.

Providing free electricity, irrigation water are such steps which no chief minister could dare to do in India so far. Devi Lal proposed the waiver of government and bank loans in Haryana and N T Rama Rao offered his grand Rs 2 kg rice scheme in Andhra Pradesh. Ultimately both ate humble pie.

In Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu is reportedly planning to raise the price of rice from Rs 2 to Rs 5 and so facing a lot of criticism. The rice scheme has not only affected the state's economy but also made the poor the worst hit in the resulting inflation with people paying much more for everything other than rice. In Haryana, Devi Lal's plan flopped and, finally, the poor farmers are still paying back with more interest.

Badal is also trying to fool the people of Punjab by providing free electricity and canal water, but he is not going to pay for the service from his pocket. The people will have to pay for the loss to the state exchequer, in the form of increased prices, taxes, or other levies. For example, soon there will be rise in bus fares, sales tax, entertainment tax and mandi taxes. Apart from this, special levies will be imposed on various agro-based raw materials and industrial products. The state government will be imposing taxes on petrol, diesel and kerosene.

With the result there will be price rise on each and every item. After all, the shop keepers, businessmen and industrialists are not going to pay the extra sale tax from their pockets. They will pass on the burden to the common consumer, which include the farmers. While not getting bills for power and water, the consumer will have to pay for it elsewhere. It is a trick, a gimmick, an effort to fool the people to garner a few votes. The ultimate result is that the balance of the economy will be disturbed, people in urban areas will suffer more, industries will be hit, badly and productivity will decline. In two years the state's economy will be in a precarious condition.

That's when Badal will knock the doors of the Centre, asking for more money. If the Centre does not oblige, he will stridently complain, alleging that the Centre is against the welfare of Punjab, particularly the Sikhs. Agitation will follow agitation and, finally, the state could again fall into the trap of terrorism.

How can the Centre provide money to fund any stupid decision of any state when it gets its money from the people of the country through various taxes and duties? The prime minister is not going to shell out from his own pocket. Ultimately, the people of this country will have to pay for it.

If the new chief minister of Punjab Prakash Singh Badal approaches him for additional allocation in the budget, the vice president of the Planning Commission should not entertain him.

If free electricity and irrigation water is to be provided it should be provided first to the farmers of most backward states like Bihar, Orissa and eastern Uttar Pradesh, where many people still starve. Punjab's farmers are the richest in the country and can easily afford the charges.

Badal's political ally, the Bharatiya Janata Party, has not announced such measures in states it rules. They should also oppose Badal on this count.

The ousted chief minister, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal also made ridiculous promises in her election manifesto, but at least she only announced a waiver of the revenue tax for farmers who do not own more than seven acres of land. But Badal has given his sops to all farmers. So only the rich stand to gain.

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