CHANDIGARH: As a direct sequel to the weakening of the Sikh militant movement in the wake of assassinations of several important leaders India has imposed a series of “taxes” that are in reality penalty on Punjab for waging the decade old battle for independence. The levies imposed so far and the ones proposed by the Indian puppet regime in the state will amount to a hefty Rs 400 crore per annum burden on Punjab.
The Punjab ministers decided on October 21 to enhance the rates of taxes on commercial vehicles but passengers and other levies on transport sector to net Rs 100 crore per annum. Earlier the central Indian government had affected a steep increase in the selling prices of certain varieties of fertilizers and diesel to realize from Punjab alone well over Rs 300 crore every year.
A Punjab government spokesman on October 27 said that the state would have to enhance the electricity and irrigation rates did not indicate the specific amount to be recovered from these enhanced taxes. The spokesman’s statement came in the wake of media reports that Punjab’s irrigation and power minister Harcharan Singh Brar had opposed the proposal.
The minister in fact had voiced his opposition in the October 21 meeting of the state cabinet and a decision on the issue was put off evidently to bring in pressure from Delhi on the minister to relent.
A closer examination of the tax increases shows that of about Rs 400 crore to be realized from Punjab nearly 90% will be contributed by Sikhs whose population in the state is about 67%. Most of the transport sector is owned by Sikhs. Agriculture is almost wholly nun by Sikhs and not by any other community in Punjab. A part of the burden will also fall on industry which again has a sizeable Sikh presence.
Where is the additional money likely to be spent? The chief minister announced on the day he made known to the media the cabinet proceedings that Rs 30crore would be paid to Punjab government employees as a bonus for the current year. In other words such a bonus will continue to be paid in the years to come as well. Rs 272 crore per annum are being spent on Indian security forces. This money at present comes from Delhi pending settlement with Punjab.
An overwhelming majority of the beneficiary-employees including security forces are Hindus. Nearly 70% of Punjab’s employees are either Hindus or are non-Sikhs. Most of these employees are politically close to Congress (I) B.J.P. and the leftists. They stood by the Indian state during its fight against the pro-Khalistan movement. In fact India’s recruitment policy aims at selecting only those who are not sympathetic to the Sikh struggle. The traditional Akali groups have criticized the new taxation measures Parkash Singh Badal and Simranjit Singh Mann issued separate statements on the subject But Indian authorities are taking these reactions in their stride because Delhi knows it too well that the Akali opposition is either for record only or they are too weak to force withdrawal.
As things are it appears India will force the Punjab government before long to resume construction of the Practically-abandoned Sutlej-Yamuna Link canal as Hindu Haryana is Pressing Delhi hard to restart work on the project to carry away Punjab’s river water to Haryana.
The only hurdle is the Sikh militants and not Akalis although the letter had started an agitation against the S.Y.L canal in 1982. Since there are indication that Bhai Diljit Singh and other members of the panthic committee are busy reorganizing the Sikh movement the anti-Punjab canal could still be blocked.
Article extracted from this publication >> November 6, 1992
