Delhi Government slammed for taxing people in the name of Commonwealth Games

New Delhi, Mar 26 (ANI): Two separate protests were staged in the national capital on Friday against the Delhi Government's decision to hike Value Added Taxes (VAT) for almost all commodities in the State budget proposals.

In one of the protests, members of the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) took out a mock funeral procession of VAT and burned its effigy.

"When the budget proposal for the Commonwealth Games was passed, the budget was Rs 7,000 crores. About Rs. 10,000 crore has already been spent. Rs. 3,000 crore was given by the Union Government for the Games," said Praveen Khandelwal, CAIT General Secretary.

"The State Government in its budget said that they are hiking the process to meet the expenses for the Commonwealth Games. We want to ask that are the Commonwealth Games more important for Delhi or the life of a common man? The Games are for the entire country, so why should people of Delhi bear all the burden?" he added.

The traders have decided to shut shops on Saturday till 1p.m. as a mark of protest and pledged to intensify their protests if the government does not role back its taxes.

In another protest, leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took out a signature campaign against the Delhi Government.

Senior BJP leaders Vijay Goel and V. K. Malhotra participated in the campaign programme that took signatures of the common man in a petition to be handed over to the president.

"Millions of rupees have been spent in the name of Commonwealth Games. They are hiking the prices of gas, diesel. They are demolishing already completed tracks and roads, changing the lectricity poles. About Rs. 200 crores are being spent for the opening and closing ceremonies. This team of Sheila Dixit, Suresh Kalmadi and the Union Government are extorting people in the name of Commonwealth Games," said Vijay Goel. (ANI)