Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Thursday said the party would introduce lump-sum taxation and a self-declaration system to help traders and industrialists grow without fear of state agencies.
Interacting with traders and industrialists in Barnala and Sangrur, Badal said the prevailing atmosphere of fear in Punjab had caused significant losses to the business community, driven capital out of the state and stalled fresh investment.
He alleged the AAP government was effectively extracting money from traders and industrialists through GST raids and by pressuring them to make donations to the party.
“This, along with extortion calls from gangsters, has stifled industrial growth in Punjab,” Badal said.
Photo with BJP leaders fuels alliance buzz
Meanwhile, bonhomie between Badal and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was on display at the wedding reception of Manpreet Singh Badal’s daughter in Chandigarh. A photograph of SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal posing with senior BJP leaders has gone viral on social media amid renewed talk of an alliance between the two parties.
The photograph shows Sukhbir with former Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar, former minister Vijay Sampla and former MLA Jagdeep Nakai. Also in the frame are BJP district presidents Jagbir Brar (Jalandhar rural), Amarpal Singh Binu Ajnala (Amritsar rural) and Kuldeep Singh (Muktsar).
