SEFI demands FM's resignation for discriminating with PSUs

New Delhi, Mar 30 (UNI) The Steel Executives' Federation of India (SEFI) has demanded resignation of Finance Minister P Chidambaram for his discrimination against the public sector employees on perquisite matter particularly on housing facilities provided to the steel company workers as compared to other government employees.

Addressng newsmen here last evening, SEFI General Secretary S K Hajra Chaudhuri said the federation proposes to organise unions and associations representing the executive and non-executive employees to gather and stage dharna before the Indian Parliament against the draconian provisions, with respect to personal income tax for public sector employees.

The Finance Bill presented to the Parliament is expected to be passed in the next session, he said, and SEFI will not leave any chance that it is passed in its present form.

The course of action decided by the federation includes staging dharna until the Act is repealed and demanding the resignation of FM on moral grounds.

''This sort of double standard and inhuman step of amending the Income Tax Act, will severely pinch a population of nearly eight crore. Why not the same be applied to the government employees who are enjoying the privileged accommodation in various state capitals besides the national capital,'' he said.

''The biased and brutal intention of the income tax department and the finance ministry will create inbuilt disadvantage for the PSU employees so that the private players will only need to show a marginal increase in salary to lure away our talent and the public sector will bleed to death.'' The SEFI along with others proposes to go any extent to make the Finance Minister see reason and desist from such a step initiated by him, Mr Chaudhuri added.

UNI