CHANDIGARH / GUJARAT:
AAP National Convenor and Delhi CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal announced five guarantees for the businessmen of Gujarat today. He declared that when the Aam Aadmi Party government is formed in the state, the traders in Gujarat will be able to do business fearlessly. He stated, “We will make traders partners of the government in Gujarat, traders will tell the solution to the problems and the government will implement them. By ending the atmosphere of fear, and bringing respect and honour for the community, we will free everyone from corruption and will issue pending refunds of VAT and GST within six months. Only the Aam Aadmi Party can bring traders freedom from corruption, no one else in this country can do so. We have started doorstep delivery of services in Delhi, this is the biggest attack on corruption. Personally I am not in favour of our complex GST system, it needs to be simplified so that traders can pay tax comfortably. They imposed GST on curd, buttermilk, lassi, flour, wheat and rice, if they wish they might even impose GST on air. An atmosphere has been created in the country that traders are thieves, while 99 percent traders want to pay taxes honestly. When our government was formed in 2015, the total revenue of Delhi Government was Rs 30,000 crore and after seven years it has increased to 75 thousand crores. We did not increase any tax in Delhi in the last five-seven years and stopped Raid Raj, yet we provide electricity, water, education and healthcare free of cost in Delhi. In Delhi, we ended corruption at the government level and started saving a lot of money. This year’s CAG report says that only the Delhi Government is running in profit in the whole country. Give AAP a chance in Gujarat and see, if we don’t fulfil our guarantees, I will not come to ask you for votes again.”
Earlier in the day, Shri Arvind Kejriwal visited Somnath to pay obeisance at the Somnath Jyotirlinga Temple and sought the lord’s blessings for the country.
Aam Aadmi Party National Convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal held a Town Hall meeting with traders in Rajkot, Gujarat today. During the event, the traders interacted with Shri Arvind Kejriwal and raised their problems in front of him. Speaking to the Gujarati traders, he talked about the complex taxation policies of the government and stated, “Kautilya wrote the book Arthashastra. He had written in his book that a king should take tax from his people in such a way that they don’t even feel that he is taking any tax from them. When a bee extracts honey from its hive, it is unaware that the honey has been extracted. Taxation should be administered in the same manner that a bee extracts honey from its hive. The people should not bear the brunt of it. GST is a very complicated system. I know many small business owners who have had to close their doors as a result of the GST. What is the point of a tax that causes businesses to close? We require such a tax system throughout the country, where people can easily understand taxation. In fact, taxation comes later. The economy should be the first priority, followed by businesses and the industries. People should get employment. Even before industries and shops start running, these people will say first give tax. From where the person will pay the tax? No one thinks about it. The GST system is a mess. The uniform taxation system across the country is also unjust. The economy of every state is different. Gujarat’s economy is different from other states and the likewise. Personally, I am not in favour of this whole system. This whole system is very complex and needs to be simplified so that traders and industrialists can pay taxes comfortably.”
Shri Arvind Kejriwal went on to talk about the merits of his government in Delhi. He added, “The system has created the impression that the businessmen are thieves. It has created an environment in which businessmen and industrialists do not want to pay taxes. 99 percent of people want to pay their taxes and conduct their business honestly. However, they are not given the opportunity to do so. It becomes complicated and must then be resolved under the table. The total revenue of the Delhi Government in 2015, when our government was formed for the first time in Delhi, was 30 thousand crore rupees. After seven years, the Delhi Government’s revenue is 75 thousand crore rupees. This was made possible by our traders, merchants and industrialists. After forming the government, we were able to put an end to the Raid Raj system. All the inspectors we had were stopped from raiding. We trusted our traders. I remember a few years back, it was Diwali time. Our Deputy CM Manish Sisodia is also our finance minister. Some traders came to Manish Sisodia ji and said that your inspector is roaming freely in the market and collecting money from people in the name of Diwali. If there had been some other finance minister, he would call the inspector and ask how much he has collected, and ask for his share. Manish Sisodia is an honest man. The next day he took out a full page ad and put his WhatsApp number on it. It said that if any inspector comes to take money from you, then take his photo and WhatsApp it to me. After this all the inspectors stopped collecting Diwali. We run an honest government, so we were able to do this. Just a few days ago, they imposed GST on curd, buttermilk, lassi, flour, wheat and rice, of all things. I have now come to think there might be a day when they put GST on air too.”
Shri Arvind Kejriwal said, “We ended corruption within the government in Delhi. We began saving a lot of money by eliminating corruption. In Wazirpur, we constructed a flyover. It was to cost Rs 325 crore. It is common for work of Rs 325 crore to be completed with subsequent increases to 1.5 to two thousand crores in some governments. If it has to be finished in one year, it will take seven to eight years. We completed the Wazirpur flyover for Rs 200 crore rather than Rs 325 crore, saving Rs 125 crore. Because we do not make money out of the exchequer. We save money. As a result, we began to save money on every project. Today in Delhi, the government runs in profit. I’m not saying, but the CAG report for this year has arrived. According to the CAG study, Delhi is the only government in the entire country that is profitable. Our government is not losing money. We didn’t raise taxes in five and a half years, we ceased raids, we trusted our traders, and we made many services like water and electricity free. The government schools performed admirably. We have provided free healthcare to everyone in Delhi, which has a population of two crore people. Even if the most invasive surgery is required, all treatment within Delhi is free. We have eliminated corruption, and secondly, governments spend a lot of money. Get 10 rupees’ worth of work done for 100 rupees. We stopped overspending and began to save money. This, I believe, is the key. Otherwise, This will never stop.”
Giving five guarantees to Gujarat’s traders and industrialists, Shri Arvind Kejriwal stated that if the Aam Aadmi Party forms a government, the state will be free of fear. “Every Gujarati businessman and industrialist is terrified right now. We will put a stop to the fearful atmosphere. Allow your business to develop and blossom with fearlessness and peace. If you thrive, Gujarat and the country will progress. The second guarantee is that every trader will be treated with respect. Every businessman and industrialist strives for the highest level of esteem. He has earned money, but when he goes to a government office and is shamed, he is devastated. It hurts a lot when someone goes to meet a politician and he scolds him. In Gujarat, traders will be honoured. Third, AAP will allow for an administration free of corruption. No one else in the country can do it but the Aam Aadmi Party. Only we can provide freedom from corruption because we are steadfastly honest people. Nowadays, people throw a lot of mud at us, but the mud doesn’t stick to us. The people of the country are aware that the Aam Aadmi Party and its supporters are truthful,” he stated.
Talking about doorstep delivery of services in Delhi, he said, “In Delhi, we have eliminated government-level corruption. In Delhi, we have launched a new way of doorstep delivery of government services. This now covers 300 of the Delhi government’s services. If you needed a licence or a new power connection, or if you needed the government to do something, you had to take time off from work and stand in line. A Babu used to object when your number was called. You would then go and capture an agent to do his work. Now, if you require any service from the Delhi Government, we have issued number 1076. Just like ordering pizza, Call this number and tell them we need the Delhi Government to complete this work. From the other side we will ask when we should come to your house to do your work. Have you ever heard of the government requesting time to do your work? If you say come at 10 p.m., a Delhi government official will come to your residence at that time to complete your task. Your certificate will be mailed to you within 10 to 15 days. This is the most serious assault on corruption.”
While presenting the fourth guarantee, Shri Arvind Kejriwal stated that many VAT and GST refunds are pending and all refunds will be issued within six months of AAP coming to government. “Simultaneously, by meeting with traders and speaking with the central government about the full GST process, we would strive to make it easy and do whatever we can at our level. We’ll fix the entire GST system in the public interest. Fifth, we will make the traders partners of the government within Gujarat. At the government level, a committee will be formed with representatives from every sector; you will tell the government about your concerns, and the government will execute your ideas. When our government was created in Delhi, people used to tell us that the city’s traders were the BJP’s vote bank. Give us a chance, if we do not deliver on the guarantees we are making in the next five years, I will not come to ask for your votes again.”
Felt great to visit Somnath Temple, I prayed for the happiness and peace of the country and Gujarat and prayed the Lord to make India the number one country in the world: Arvind Kejriwal
Earlier this morning, Shri Arvind Kejriwal visited Somnath Jyotirlinga Temple and sought blessings of the Lord. While talking with the media, He stated that having darshan of Somnath ji brought a lot of calm and he felt great. “Here, I prayed to God for the progress of the country and Gujarat, as well as for the happiness and peace of the country and its people. May all of the people progress in our country, may everyone be happy and well, and may our India become the number one country in the world.”
Political patronage for illegal alcohol merchants in Gujarat should be investigated: Arvind Kejriwal
At the same time, Shri Arvind Kejriwal while interacting with the media said that the death of several people in Gujarat due to toxic liquor is really tragic. “Liquor is banned in Gujarat. The sale of alcoholic beverages is prohibited. Despite the ban, people are aware of how much illegal liquor is peddled here. Who are these folks selling illegal liquor? Those selling illegal liquor obviously have political protection. Where does the money from the illegal liquor sale end up? It should be looked into.”
Shri Arvind Kejriwal wrote on Twitter, “It is tragic that dozens of people have died and more than 40 have been hospitalised in Gujarat as a result of toxic liquor. I pay my respects to all the deceased and will be visiting Bhavnagar Hospital today to express my condolences to the victims during this difficult time.”
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